The Purrfect Houseguest
by Rogue11
Summary: AU, Treize Khushrenada is a bestselling novel author, who lives a pretty quiet and uneventful life, together with his fiancé and his young daughter . Things change however when a new houseguest, an impish neko by the name of Zechs, comes into their life
1. Settings

**Disclaimer: **This story was written by a fan only for the enjoyment of other fans, without any monetary compensation. Gundam Wing and its characters are registered trademarks of Bandai Entertainment Inc.™ and Sotsu Agency. All rights reserved.

**Title: **The Purrfect Houseguest

**Author: **Rogue 11

**Rating: **PG in the beginning, later rating will go up for sexual content

**Warnings: **yaoi, lemon, lime, some violence

**Pairings:** 13x5, (for anything else you will have to wait and see)

**Notation: **_Italics_ – indicates thoughts

**Bold** – indicates emphasis

**About the Story: **AU, Treize Khushrenada is a bestselling novel author, who lives a pretty quiet and uneventful life, together with his fiancé Wufei Chang and his young daughter Mariemaia. Things change however when a new houseguest, an impish neko by the name of Zechs, comes into their life.


	2. Prologue

**The Purrfect Houseguest**

**Prologue**

Treize Khushrenada swallowed a curse as he closed the hood of his Mercedes. He felt the urge to kick the car, and only the fact that Mariemaia was watching stopped him from doing so. Instead he gave his daughter a reassuring smile, pulled out his cell phone once again and tried to make a call. But just like before he wasn't even able to get a signal. _It must be the mountains_, he thought, as he closed the phone and slipped it back into his pocket.

A red shock of hair popped through the open driver seat window. "I'm thirsty, Papa."

"There are some bottles of water in one of the bags in the back, help yourself Marie."

The head disappeared, and he could hear her rummage around in the backseat. A few moments later Mariemaia was back, water bottle in hand. "We are screwed, Papa, aren't we?"

Treize raised one eyebrow at the young girl. "I beg your pardon?"

"I said, we are …," she started.

"I've heard you the first time, young lady," he interrupted her. "But what makes you think that it is alright to talk like that?"

Marie put on a little pout.

Treize sighed inwardly, as he turned his head and gazed at the empty road ahead. Perhaps Mariemaia was right and they were screwed. His phone wasn't working, and for the better part of an hour not a single car had come by. Ironically, its desolateness was exactly the reason why he had chosen this country road over the packed freeway in the first place.

"Do we have to spend the night out here?"

"Of course not, Angel."

"Are you sure? We have been here a long time already." Mariemaia sounded somewhat skeptical and a little worried.

Her father couldn't blame her. It was getting dark and they were practically in the middle of nowhere. "I'm certain," he assured her with as much conviction as he could master. "Somebody will come by sooner or later."  
_I really hope so. I'm not looking forward to spending the night in the car either. _Just as he had finished that thought, Treize noticed a single headlight in the distance. It seemed as though his prayers had been answered.

###

Wufei was somewhat surprised when he saw, some distance away, a car stopped in the right lane of the street. He was driving this route three times a week, on his way home from the laboratory where he worked after school, and he had barely ever meet another vehicle on this stretch of road.

From the way the black Mercedes was parked, it appeared that the car had stalled while the driver was still trying to pull over to the right shoulder. The young man slowed his motorcycle down somewhat as he approached. He was well aware that stopping and offering help to a total stranger was not the safest thing to do, but there was no way that he could just drive by and ignore another person in trouble.

Wufei stopped his bike next to a tall, slender, man with ginger-colored hair, and raised the visor of his helmet as he looked up to him. "Are you having problems with your car?" he asked.

Before the man ever had a chance to answer, a little girl, probably six or seven years old, stuck her head through the driver seat window and smiled at him. "Hello, Mister. I think Papa broke the car and his phone too. Now we are stuck here. Can you help us?"

The tawny haired man, obviously her father, shrugged. His lips curved into a wry smile, and he raised his hand to push back a few tendrils of hair that had fallen into his face. "As much as I hate to admit it, I think that pretty much sums it up," he said. "The car stopped; I'm not sure why. I have tried to call for help, but I can't seem to get a signal."

Wufei nodded understandingly. "There is a rest stop less than 5 miles from here. They also have a small repair shop. I could drive by there, and have them send out a tow truck if you'd like," he offered.

"Thank you, I would appreciate that very much."

The young man gave another nod, as he pushed down his visor and started his bike. "It shouldn't take too long for the tow truck to get here."  
_He looks familiar. I'm almost certain that I have seen the man before somewhere… but where_, Wufei thought, as he pulled back into the left lane and drove off.

###

"…and they lived happily ever after." Treize looked up from the book he had been reading from, and reached out to tug the blanket up over Mariemaia's shoulders. He couldn't be sure how long it would take before they would be picked up, and Marie had started to get tired and fuzzy. So, he had told her to lay down on the backseat and try to go to sleep, while he would read her a story.

"Read me another one, Papa, please," she begged. "This time you can choose."

"Alright," he agreed. "Let's see what else we got here." But before Treize was able to start reading the new story the sound of a motorcycle approaching grabbed his attention. He looked up, surprised when he recognized the bike and rider. He really hadn't expected the young man to return.

The bike stopped right in front of the Mercedes, and Treize set aside the book and climbed out of the car.

"I'm afraid it might take a while before the tow truck gets here. They only have one truck at the repair shop and it is out on the road at the moment. But I was told that it will be here within the next hour for sure." the young man explained.  
He dismounted the motorcycle and removed his helmet, and for the first time Treize was able to see his face. A handsome face; clearly oriental in feature, with golden tanned skin and dark, slightly slanted eyes. His jet-black hair was pulled together into a tight ponytail. Treize couldn't help but think that he would probably look even more beautiful with his hair open.

"Thank you for coming back all this way to let us know. I really appreciate it, Mr.…?"

"Chang… Chang Wufei," the youth introduced himself.

Treize nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Chang. My name is Treize Khushrenada, and this…" he gestured toward the girl who was peeking out of the back window of the Mercedes, "is my daughter Mariemaia."

"I thought that you might be hungry." The young man pulled a paper sack from the bag in the back of his motorcycle, and handed it to Treize "I hope you like hotdogs, it was the only warm food that they had."

"Thank you! That's very thoughtful of you. Marie, what do you say?"

"Thank you, Mister."

"You are welcome." Wufei gave her a little smile, as he watched her father unpack one of the hotdogs for the girl.

"What do I owe you, Mr. Chang?" Treize asked as he turned back toward their Good Samaritan.

"Nothing," the young man replied with a dismissive gesture. "It's not even worth mentioning really."

"Nevertheless, I would like to repay my debt," Treize persisted. "At least allow me to invite you for dinner in return."

"That's really not necessary."

"But I insist. You have been more than kind to us and I would feel like taking advantage of your kindness if I don't get a chance to repay you in some way."

"Truth is, I'm not much of a restaurant person." Wufei admitted.

"Coincidentally, neither am I. But I love to cook, so why won't I make dinner for us, at my house. Let's say on Wednesday evening?" the older man suggested.

"I have to work on Wednesday night."

"Thursday then?"

"Yes, Thursday would work, I suppose."

"Excellent. Then Thursday evening it is. Let me give you my address and my phone number."

As the older man reached into the glove compartment of his car to pull out a pen and a small notebook, and started to write down his information, Wufei blinked. _What, in the name of my ancestors, just happened? What have I gotten myself into?_

#####

Wufei took another look at the address on the piece of paper that Treize had given him, just to make sure that he was really at the right house. He had gotten lost twice on the way here, and had only found the place after somebody had pointed him in the right direction. Emerald Ridge was by all indications a very exclusive neighborhood. He had only seen a few scattered houses, set high upon a hill, overlooking the ocean, each of them worth easily a million dollar or more. Apparently the people who lived here valued their privacy and had the means to pay for it.

The house he was standing in front was a white, two-story building, with a perfectly manicured front yard and a three-car garage. The fifteen dollar bottle of wine he had bought as a host's gift seemed all of a sudden very inadequate, and Wufei faltered. _What am I doing here anyway?_ he thought. _Why did I take his invitation? He was probably only trying to be polite. I mean, he is married with at least one child. I can only imagine how his wife reacted when he told her that he invited some stranger, who he picked up on the side of the road, over for dinner.  
_But before he could continue with that train of thoughts, or change his mind, the door was opened and Treize Khushrenada stepped out, wearing a pair of cream colored trousers and a deep red silk shirt.

"Ah, Mr. Chang, welcome" he greeted his guest with a charming smile. "I **thought** I heard your motorcycle. I was beginning to worry that you might have changed your mind, and decided to stand me up."

"No, I just got lost on the way here," Wufei admitted somewhat sheepishly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I suppose I should have given you better directions. Let's go inside, shall we?"

The young man followed his host into the house and the living room, where he presented him with the bottle of wine that he had brought along.

"Ah, _Stack's Leap_, an excellent choice," Treize remarked appreciatively as he unwrapped it. "I'll go and open it to let it breathe for a while. We can have it later with dinner. If you will excuse me…"

As the tawny haired man left Wufei took the opportunity to study his surroundings. The room was tastefully and expensively furnished; a perfect combination of modern and classic style. A large panoramic window provided a lovely view onto the bay. Two dividers separated a small dining area from the main living room. He frowned slightly when he noticed that the table was only set for two. Just then, he heard Treize walk back into the room, and he turned to face him.

"Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes. Can I offer you anything till then; something to drink perhaps?"

"No thanks, I'm fine right now." The young man shook his head. "I was just admiring the view," he added with a gesture toward the window.

"Yes it is beautiful, isn't it?" Treize agreed. He walked over to where his guest was standing and for a long moment they both gazed out onto the ocean.

As Wufei turned his head, he noticed for the first time the stunning color of the other man's eyes. That evening, when they met at the roadside, it had been too dark for him to see how incredibly blue and piercing they were. _It's not only the eyes_, he thought. _His face has something distinctively refined to it. He is extremely handsome_. _I wish I could remember where I have seen him before. _

Just then Treize looked at him, and he quickly averted his gaze, hoping that he wasn't blushing.

"This view is one of the reasons why I bought this house," the older man remarked. "The other one is the serenity around here. Don't get me wrong. I'm by no means a hermit; however I do appreciate peace and quiet when I'm working."

"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of work do you do, Mr. Khushrenada?" Wufei had noticed a laptop and a lot of loose papers and books on a small coffee table on the other side of the room.

"I'm a writer," Treize confirmed the younger man's conjecture. "But please, my name is Treize. Being called Mister, makes me feel like I'm awfully old already." He laughed.

"Thank you, but then you'll have you call me by my first name as well."

The older man inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Very well, Wufei."

_An author, huh?_ Wufei thought. And just like that also knew where he had seen Treize before; not the man in person, but a picture of him.

"Oh, if I remember correctly, I saw your picture a few weeks ago at the bookstore I frequently go to."

"Yeah, there were some big promotions when my latest novel was released," Treize confirmed, sounding a little embarrassed by that fact.

"I have to admit though that I didn't pay enough attention to even know what your novel was about," Wufei added.

The older man gave a deep, rich laugh. "Truthfully, I would have been a little surprised if you told me that you have actually read any of my books. I write romance novels, you must know, and my readership is mainly female. What about you? I remember you mentioned that you had to work on Saturday. May I ask what kind of a job you have?"

"Well, actually, I'm still a full-time student. I just work three times a week mostly after school at the Institute for Biotechnology and Genetics. I hope to get an internship there once I finish college."

Treize raised one eyebrow in a mixture of surprise and regard "A scientist? I'm impressed."

"Not much of a scientist yet," Wufei replied with a slight grin, "unless you're considering cleaning lab equipment a science."

Before Treize could reply anything to that, the sound of a chime interrupted them, and the man excused himself to check on the roast. He returned after only a few moments, announcing that dinner was ready. "Are we ready to eat?" He gave Wufei a questioning look.

"Well, shouldn't we be waiting for the rest of your family? Your daughter and your wife I mean, won't they be joining us?"

"Actually," the older man replied. "I'm divorced. Marie lives with her mother's family during the week. I only have her on weekends and over the holidays. So, it will only be the two of us for dinner. I hope that doesn't bother you."

"No, of course not," Wufei assured his host quickly. He wasn't sure why, but the fact that the man was divorced actually pleased him for some reason.

###

A short time later the two men were sitting across from each other at the dinner table. As Treize leaned forward to pour the wine, Wufei felt himself once again drawn to those blue eyes. _They are like two clear blue lakes_, he thought, _deep enough that one can easily drown in them._ He shook his head to banish that thought from his mind and stared down onto his plate. _Get a hold of yourself, Chang,_ he berated himself. _And stop drooling over the man. He is just being polite. What makes you think that he could have any interest in you? He is rich, good looking and a bestselling author. What would he possibly see in a boy like you who hasn't even finished college yet, even if he was interested in men?_

"You are not eating. Don't you like it?"

"No… I mean yes, I do like it. It's delicious really. I was just thinking about something, I'm sorry." This time the young man could clearly feel his cheeks burning, and he desperately hoped that his host didn't notice.

They passed the time during dinner with small talk, and when Wufei asked about her, Treize spoke about Mariemaia. It didn't take much to realize that the older man adored his daughter.

When they had finished eating and Treize got up to clear the table, Wufei rose as well. "Let me help you," he offered.

"Absolutely not; I only make my guests work on the first date if I don't want them to come back." Treize smirked at him.

Wufei blinked, surprised. _Was he just trying to flirt with me? Of course not, Chang, you are imagining things._

"But perhaps while I'm cleaning up and put on some coffee, you should move your bike into the garage. It looks like we might get some rain tonight."

The young man nodded. It seemed like a good idea. Riding home on a seat soaked with rainwater was not his idea of fun. His host opened the garage door for him and Wufei went to get his motorcycle. By the time he got back into the house Treize had already put away the dishes, and the coffee was brewing. "Are you sure you don't want me to help with anything?" he asked.

The older man shook his head. "I'm just about to get the cake and then we are all set. Why don't you have a seat already?"

As Wufei complied Treize left and returned a few moments later with the cake and the coffee pot. "I hope you like chocolate cake. Marie chose it. She insisted that you look like someone who loves chocolate."

"Let me guess, chocolate is her favorite?"

Treize nodded, blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "But of course she insisted that that fact that she is hoping for a piece when she comes to visit tomorrow had nothing to do with her choice."

"It's quite delicious," the young man remarked after taking the first bite. "Did you bake it yourself?"

"No, the credit for that goes to Kronehauser's bakery. I do like to cook, but I'm afraid I'm not much of a pastry chef," Treize confessed, with a twinkle in his eyes. "The one and only time I ever tried to decorate a cake ended in such a disaster that Mariemaia made me promise to never try it again."

Wufei laughed. Treize's amusing and delightfully charming attitude had put him quickly at ease. Any anxiety that he had when he arrived had long since fallen away, and he felt like he had known the other man for years rather than for only a few hours. He could hardly remember the last time when he had enjoyed himself this much.

Once they had finished their desserts Wufei helped clearing the table, and this time he didn't take **no** for an answer. Afterward the two men settled down with what was left of the bottle of wine he had brought. They ended up talking until long after midnight.

When Wufei finally decided that it was time to leave, he was almost sorry that the evening was over. "I had a wonderful time," he told Treize. "But I'd better leave now. It's really getting late, and I have some early classes tomorrow… or better today."

"It's raining; you shouldn't ride your bike home. Let me call you a taxi." the older man suggested.

"That's not necessary, really." Wufei made a dismissive gesture. "I have driven in the rain before."

"No, I insist. I would be worried, knowing that you have to drive all the way back into town on those wet streets. Besides," Treize added with a smirk, "that way you will have to come back to pick up your motorcycle."

T.B.C.

Author's Note:


	3. Chapter 1

**The Purrfect Houseguest**

**Part 1**

_Two years later_

Treize, already fully dressed and freshly shaven, regarded the sleeping figure in his bed for a few moments affectionately before he leaned forward and whispered softly into his lover's ear. "It's time to wake up."

Wufei grunted some incoherent words and tried to pull the covers over his ears. But the other man, expecting that reaction, was holding on to the blanket with both hands.

"You will be late for work," he pointed out.

"I'll skip breakfast. I'm not hungry anyway," Wufei mumbled in reply, tugging at his covers. "I can grab something at work later."

"Oh no, you will not," the older man replied firmly. "You have terrible eating habits, Dear. Hasn't anybody ever told you that you need to eat properly to grow properly?"

"I don't remember hearing any complains about my size from you last night."

Treize chuckled softly and nipped at his lover's ear. "Ah, not only are we grumpy this morning, we are also being cheeky. Unfortunately we both have a schedule to keep, or I would show you what happens to cheeky little boys." With a last affectionate nuzzle he straightened. "Get up," he added, a little more firmly this time. "I'll give you two minutes to get that cute little behind of yours into the shower, or I'll drag it there myself."

Wufei huffed, unimpressed by the threat. "You wouldn't dare."

"Just try me," his lover retorted, blue eyes sparkling playfully. "Two minutes," he warned one more time, as he walked to the door.

###

Wufei gave another snort. But the moment the door had closed behind the older man, he smiled softly and stretched leisurely. He climbed out of bed and shuffled into the adjoined bathroom to turn on the shower. As he slipped off his pajamas and stepped under the hot jet, he once again thanked his ancestors for bringing Treize into his life.  
  
It's said that everybody has a soul mate somewhere on the face of this earth. Wufei never believed in it, until the day when he met the tawny haired man. Treize was everything one could hope for in a lover, and then some. He was smart, charming, witty and most of all romantic. He spoiled Wufei and showered him with love and affection, but he also knew when to back off and give the young man some room and time for himself.  
He would be lying if he said that he wasn't nervous at first, when Treize asked him to move in with him. It was a big step in their relationship, one that he had never taken with any of his former lovers. And then of course there was Mariemaia. He hadn't wanted the girl to feel like he was trying to cut in on what little time she had with her father. But Marie had accepted him surprisingly well, and had made him feel very welcome.

Wufei was still smiling as he stepped out of the shower to towel himself off. When he walked back into the bedroom the smell of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon hit his nose, and he realized that despite of his earlier arguments, he was actually quite hungry.

Treize was already sitting at the breakfast island when Wufei walked into the kitchen. The young man helped himself to some bacon and eggs; while Treize put aside the paper he had been reading and poured coffee for the both of them.

"Why are you all dressed up already anyway?" Wufei asked, as he settled down at the table.

"I have a meeting with my publisher at 9:30 and I also need to drive by my lawyer's office. He'd called yesterday and left a message that he needed to speak to me. There are some papers I have to sign."

"Is this about Mariemaia?" Wufei asked. He knew that Treize had just recently applied for full legal and physical custody of his daughter.

"Yes." The older man nodded. "I'll be leaving in about half an hour. I can drop you off at the institute on my way into town, if you wish."

"Sounds good," Wufei agreed. He still rode his motorcycle on most days, in spite of Treize trying to convince him how dangerous those things were, but sometimes it was nice not to have to drive himself.

Treize was just about to pick up his coffee cup when the phone rung. From where he was sitting he had only to lean over the counter to his right to pick up the receiver. "Hello."

"Hello, Papa."

"Mariemaia!?" Treize raised one eyebrow, as he glanced at the clock on the wall. "Shouldn't you be in school right now?"

"It's Wednesday; we always have late start on Wednesdays," she replied. "I really just called to ask you a very quick question."

"Alright, what's the question?"

"You remember my friend Melanie Woods, don't you? She was at my birthday partly last year."

"Of course I remember her; cute little blond girl with pigtails. Her father owns the _Woods Hardware_ chain if I'm not mistaken."

"That's her," Mariemaia confirmed. "I was playing over at her house yesterday. Her dog had puppies, and her mom told me they are giving them away once they are old enough. Can I have one…Please?"

There was a long moment of silent. Treize pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "Angel, didn't we talk about this already? Your grandfather does not want a dog in the house, and quite frankly I don't blame him."

"I know, I know, Papa. That's why I thought we could keep it at your house."

"I don't think so, Marie. Dogs, especially puppies are a lot of work. They need to be housebroken and trained, and not to mention they need to be walked at least three days a day seven days a week. Neither I nor Wufei have time for that."

"What about a kitten then? They don't need to be walked and they sleep most of the day. You and Wufei won't even know it's there," Marie begged.

"You know I'm allergic to cat hair."

"It's not fair. All of my friends have pets."

He could imagine the pout on his daughter's face right now, and he sighed. "I don't think right now, over the phone, is a good time to discuss this. Let's talk about it this weekend when you are here."

"Alright. I've got to go anyway, the school bus just pulled up. Say Hi to Wufei from me. Love you, Papa."

"Love you too, Angel."

Treize turned off the phone and hung it back into the charger. "Marie, said Hi," he told Wufei.

"I'm surprised she still hasn't given up on the idea of getting a dog," the younger man replied.

Treize sighed. "I guess she figures, if she keeps begging long enough I'll eventually break down."

"It's working, isn't it?" Wufei grinned.

The tawny haired man huffed in fake exasperation. "Whose side are you on anyway?"

#####

"If you take a look now you should be able to see the difference between the original slide and the sample you took this morning," Wufei told the young woman he was working with, as he stepped away from the comparison microscope.

Sylvia Noventa was the newest member of the research team, and she was also the granddaughter of Professor Noventa, the head of IBG's(1) genetics division. She had only been working at the institute for about four months, and until now she had been doing mainly pre-test preparations and lab equipment care. Doctor Sally had asked Wufei to teach her the basics of culture preparation, and help her with her first specimen test.

The young woman stepped over to the microscope, looked through the eyepiece lens, frowned and took another look. "I can't see any difference."

"Exactly," Wufei confirmed. "Neither can I. This means that you'll have to scrap the experiment and start over again."

She looked at him as thought she wasn't sure if he was joking. "Start over? It took me more than two weeks to get to this point."

"Two weeks are nothing," he told her calmly. "Genetic research isn't a race. It takes a lot of time and patience. 99 of the time we fail."

"Alright," she sighed. Of course she knew that Wufei was right, but nevertheless she had hoped to do exceptional well with her first experiment, and prove that she was ready to do more than clean up Petri dishes.

Both she and Wufei turned their heads, as the door behind them opened, and Doctor Po walked into the room.

Sally was wearing her brown hair in braided tails, which made her look even younger than she actually was. Many of the "old school" scientists at the institute didn't take the doctor very serious, because they seemed to confuse age with experience. Wufei, however, liked to work with the young woman, and he couldn't wish for a better supervisor. Over the past three years they had become rather good friends.

"Wufei, did you finish those reports I asked you about this morning?"

The young man nodded. "I put them onto your desk before I went for lunch."

Sally inclined her head in acknowledgement. "Thank you. I'll look at them later. By the way, I just run into one of the security guards from the main gate. She told me that Mr. Khushrenada is here to pick you up. Actually, I think her exact words were: 'Mr. Good-looking is back again. He is waiting in the parking lot. Will you let Mr. Chang know?' "

Wufei flushed and mumbled something under his breath that didn't sound like a compliment. Sally laughed, and even Sylvia couldn't keep a straight face.

"He comes to pick you up and waits for you in the parking lot. That's so sweet," the young woman remarked.

"That's nothing," the doctor added with a grin. "When they first stated dating he would send Wufei a dozen roses every day. The people in the second floor even had an office pool going, betting on what color roses he would bring next."

"Cute! It sounds like he is just as romantic as the heroes in his books are."

Wufei's blush deepened, even as scowled at his two female coworkers. "Women!"

"You'd better go. You shouldn't let a catch like him wait for too long, or somebody else might try to snatch him away," Sally suggested teasingly. "I'll finish up here."

###

"How was your day?" Treize asked as he pulled out of the institute's parking lot.

"Pretty ordinary. Not really much to tell about." the young man replied somewhat evasively. "What about you? How did the meeting with your lawyer go?"

Treize's eyes darkened and for an instant his jaws clenched.

"What's wrong?" Wufei asked.

"He got a letter from Barton's lawyer the other day. They are challenging my request for full custody of Mariemaia; citing my 'lifestyle' as reason why she shouldn't be placed into my care permanently," the tawny haired man pressed through his teeth.

"Barton really doesn't like me, does he?" Wufei remarked quietly. He felt awful, and more than just a little guilty. Perhaps, if he wouldn't have moved in with Treize…

The older man snorted. "It's more that he doesn't like me. He never thought that I was good enough for his daughter, and the divorce didn't better our relationship as you can imagine. He always held me responsible for the marriage falling apart, and if he could he'd probably blame me for Leia's death as well." He looked at Wufei and smiled softly. He knew exactly what his lover was thinking. "Don't Wufei; you have nothing to feel guilty about. You are the best thing that happened to me and Marie, and I give a damn what other people say."

"So, what are you planning to do?"

"I'm going to fight of course, tooth and nail if need be," Treize vowed seriously. "You don't provoke a Khushrenada and don't expect him to bite back."  
After Leia's death he had agreed to share custody for Mariemaia with his in-laws even if it meant that he would only see her on weekends and a few weeks during the summer. He just wanted to do whatever was best for his daughter, and for her to stay in the environment and with the people she had lived with for the past two years seemed the best for her after the trauma of just having lost her mother. However, things had changed since. Marie had gotten older and was expressing the desire to spend more time with her father. He would be damned if he would ignore that request, for her sake as much as for his own. He had already missed out on too many things in his daughter's life.

#####

Treize was lying on the couch, watching TV, when Wufei walked into the living room, dressed only in a pair of loose fitting sweatpants. He had just gotten out of the shower, and his hair was still damp.

The young man nudged his lover, and Treize moved over far enough to allow Wufei to stretch out beside him. His right arm snaked around Wufei's slim waist, pulling him closer.

"Are you warm enough?"

"Yes," the young man nodded, as he relaxed against his lover's body.

"You smell good," Treize whispered. He placed a ghost of a kiss onto Wufei's neck, as he soaked in the sweet, fruity smell of the shampoo mixed with Wufei's own, unique scent. "Almost good enough to eat."

Wufei closed his eyes and made a contented noise that sounded almost like the purr of a fat, lazy cat, as the older man's fingers started to play with his hair.

For a while they just lay there silently, simply enjoying each other's presence.

"I have been thinking…" Treize finally broke the silence. "We haven't been up in Deer Creek for a long time. Marie has a four day break coming up next month. She has no school on the 17th, because of some teachers' conference. The 18th and 19th are the weekend, and Monday is a holiday. I thought, if you could take a day off work that Friday, we can drive up and take a little four day vacation. What do you think?"

"Hmm…" Wufei opened one eye lazily. "I'm not sure I can take the day off. Doctor Po might need me. We are working on a number of tests and experiments right now."

"Doctor Po?! It's always Doctor Po. What about me?" Treize complained teasingly. "Besides, what's the hurry about those experiments? Dinosaurs have been dead for millions of years. I'm sure you won't get any complains if they stay that way for just a little longer," he added, and earned himself a bump into his ribs. "Ouch, what was that for?"

"Are you making fun of my job?" Wufei turned around to face his lover and scowled at him.

"Would I ever?" the older man asked innocently.

"I'm not sure about that."

"You know, you have the cutest little pout I have ever seen," Treize smirked. He should have known better. He second time Wufei elbowed him even harder.

"I just can't win tonight, can I?" The older man gave a theatrical sigh. "Here I was just trying to give you a compliment…"

Wufei snorted. "I think you need to brush up on your skills. For a romance novelist you don't know much about compliments, do you?"

"Ouch, that was a definite blow to my ego." Treize managed to look hurt, even as his eyes sparkled with mirth.

"Good, then we are even. Let's call a truce."

"Very well, but we will need to seal it properly." Treize agreed suggestively.

"How?" Wufei asked, his voice a little huskier than he intended.

"How about, like this…?" The older man dipped his head and kissed him. Slowly and skillfully he teased Wufei's lips until they parted slightly, allowing his tongue to slip between them and plunder the hot cavern of his lover's mouth.

The young man groaned. One of his hands came up and buried itself in soft, ginger-blond hair. When they broke the kiss, both off them were panting breathlessly.

"What about my kissing skills?" Treize purred, as he nipped at Wufei's earlobe. "Do I have to brush up on those too?"

"No complains there, none whatsoever."

"I'm pleased to hear that." The tawny haired man laughed softly. "So, what about our trip?"

"Well, I guess I could take off Friday afternoon. You and Marie could go ahead and leave in the morning and I'll just meet you later," Wufei suggested.

"That sounds alight," Treize nodded. It was a compromise he could live with. They still would be able to spend three relaxing days together.

T.B.C.

Author's Note:

(1) IBG – Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic, the place where Wufei works. Dr Po and her team research ways try to bring back endangered species from the brink of extinction (using DNA, genetics, cloning etc), as well as possible ways to bring back already extinct species. (Hence Treize teasing him about the dinosaurs)


	4. Chapter 2

**The Purrfect Houseguest**

**Part 2**

Treize was just starting to prepare dinner when Wufei walked into the kitchen. The young man slipped into one of the seats by the cooking island, watching his lover for a few moments before he asked: "Do you want me to help with anything?"

"Thanks, but I think I have everything pretty much covered; unless you want to peel and dice those two onions?"

"I had to ask, didn't I?" Wufei groaned, even as he reached for the onions Treize was gesturing at, and pulled a knife from the wooden block. "One of these days I'm going to buy you a food processor."

"Save your money," Treize laughed. "It would only end up in a box in the attic with three or four others that are already collecting dust. I simply prefer to cut my vegetables by hand."

The younger man huffed and mumbled something about being hopelessly stuck in the Stone Age. For a few moments he worked quietly, before raising his head and looking at Treize. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I talked to Quatre this morning. He called me while I was at work."

"Oh really? How is he?" Treize asked. He had only met the young man once, and very briefly, but he knew a lot about him through Wufei. The two of them had met in high school, became friends and stayed in contact ever since.  
Initially he had been surprised when he learned that his lover and Quatre Winner went to the same school together. The name Winner was synonymous with wealth and influence. The Winner Cooperation was the largest import and export business, with headquarters all over the world. Quatre was the youngest of many children, but the only son, and heir to the multibillion dollar fortune.

"He is doing great."

"Is he still working in South America?" Treize wanted to know.

Wufei shook his head. "No actually, he told me that his father recently put him in charge of the local main office. He said that he and Trowa found a moderate size estate that they liked right her in Willowbrook, and they moved there last week. That's why he called. They would like for the tree of us, Mariemaia included, to come over for dinner on Sunday. I told him that I would talk to you about it and call him back. So, what do you think?"

Treize gave a little nod. "I think it's an excellent idea. I'm sure you are looking forward to seeing your friend again, and I'm dying to meet his partner."

"We should get them something, don't you think? A little housewarming gift," Wufei suggested. The young man sniffled and put aside the knife to wipe his burning eyes. "I don't think I'll have time to go shopping though. I'll be working late for the rest of the week and on Saturday too."

"Now, now, that's no reason to cry, dear. I'll take care of it, don't worry," Treize teased, and earned himself a disgruntled glare from his lover.

"Keep that up and you might be wearing this onion on your face." Wufei scowled.

The ginger blond man chuckled. Oh how he enjoyed teasing his delightfully prickly lover.

"Burgundy or blue?" Treize held up the two shirts in question for Wufei to choose, as the young man walked out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his slender hips.

"I like the blue one. But the red one looks nice on you too."

"That is not very helpful you know," the older man pointed out.

"Well…the blue one then." Wufei shrugged as he walked over to the dresser. The towel dropped to the floor, and he reached into the top drawer for a pair of midnight-blue boxers.

With a soft smile on his lips Treize beheld his young lover's magnificent body, while he slipped into his shirt and started to unbutton it. He admired every inch of soft, golden-tanned skin, letting his eyes roam over a lean back that ended in the firm globes of two delicious looking buttocks, and a pair of strong, muscular legs.

Unaware, or unconcerned, that he was the object of the older man's scrutiny, Wufei slowly got dressed. Just as he turned to reach for his jacket that was handing over a chair his gaze fell upon a large gift basket on the table by the window.  
He remembered that Treize had told him that he had ordered the present for Quatre and Trowa at some kind of chocolates and candy store.

"When did they deliver the basket?" he asked, as he walked over to the table.

"Earlier, while you were in the shower," Treize replied.

Wufei nodded as he picked up the small card attacked to the gift. "**Dessert's On Me**? Kind of an odd name isn't it?" he frowned slightly. "What kind of chocolates do they sell anyway?" He gazed trough the clear wrapping paper, trying to see if he recognized any of the brands. It took him only a moment to realize that this wasn't your average chocolate gift basket. "Edible body paint… chocolate flavored massage oil… vanilla scented condoms…?" The young man turned on his heels and glared at his lover. "Are you out of your mind, Treize? We can't give this to them."

"And why is that?" the tawny haired man blinked innocently. "You told me yourself that they both love sweets."

"This is not the kind of "sweets" I was talking about." Wufei flushed crimson.

"What are you saying? They don't do the **'naughty thing'**?"

"Treize!" the young man snapped. The color in his cheeks only intensified. But before he could add anything else he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Papa, can you help me with my dress? I can't get it zipped up by myself."

**"**Just a moment, Sweetie, I'll be right there. Just give me a minute or two." Treize called out over his shoulder before turning his attention back toward his lover. "Relax, Wufei. You are going to give yourself a tension headache. We can, and we will give the basket to your friends. I might now know them as well as you do, but from what you have told me about them, I'm sure they will enjoy it."

"You better be right about that," Wufei growled, as he walked passed the tawny haired man to the door. "Because otherwise, the only thing you will be sleeping with for a while are bedbugs."

Treize laughed. "I have nothing to worry about", he declared confidently. "However, I'm glad I didn't go with my first choice."

Wufei threw a glare back over his shoulder. He didn't ask what Treize's "first choice" was, but he made himself a mental note to never let his lover buy any gifts for his friends again.

"Wow," Mariemaia exclaimed as Treize drove the Mercedes through the automated gate and up a long cobblestone road toward a colonial style mansion. "It's so big."

Indeed, the manor looked large enough to easily house a small troop of soldiers. Not to mention that there were also several outbuildings, stables, a wonderfully maintained front-yard, and a garden behind the house.

So much for _moderate size estate_," Wufei thought amused.

A tall bearded man approached as soon as they pulled up in front of the house. Marie's yaw almost dropped as she looked at him. "Everything here is large," she exclaimed in utter amazement.

Both, Wufei and Treize laughed.

"This is Rashid Kurama, Quatre's chief of security," Wufei explained as he climbed out of the car. "Rashid, how have you been? It is nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you too, Mister Chang, Miss, Sir…" The tall man greeted them with a polite nod. "Mister Winner and Mister Barton are expecting you. Let me show you the way."

"The gift basket," Treize reminded his lover.

"You take it." Wufei decided.

"Very well." The tawny haired man chuckled, as he reached into the backseat for the basket.

They followed Rashid into the house and into a small, tastefully furnished sitting room where Quatre and Trowa were waiting.

After some quick, informal greetings, Treize presented their hosts with the gift basket.

"Well, thank you," Quatre told him, as he accepted the gift. "That's very nice of you, although it was really not necessary. But I'm sure we will be getting good use out of it, won't we?" The young man exchanged a suggestive gaze with his partner.

The tawny haired man simply couldn't resist giving Wufei a "**told you so"** look.

"Why don't we go and sit outside for a while," Trowa suggested.

The small group settled down on the veranda, for some hors d'oeuvre and small talk.

After a good while Treize glanced at his daughter. Mariemaia was at her best behavior, but she seemed somewhat bored surrounded only by adults; and he couldn't help but feel sorry for her.  
Their blond host seemed to realize it too, because he suddenly asked: "Mariemaia, do you like animals."

The girl nodded enthusiastically. "A lot. I like dogs and kittens and bunny rabbits..."

"What about Horses?" Quatre wanted to know.

"Oh, I love horses. When I'm a little older I want to take riding lessons."

"I see." The blond nodded. "Would you like me to ask Rashid to show you the stables?"

"I would love that." Marie turned to her father with an excited look on her face. "May I, Papa?"

Treize smiled at her and nodded. "Sure, why not."

Quatre called for the tall Arab. "Rashid, would you please take Miss Khushrenada to the stables and show her around? Dinner won't be ready for at least another half an hour."

"But of course." Rashid nodded, and turned toward Mariemaia. "Shall we go, young lady?"

"Isn't she just adorable?" Quatre smiled, as he watched the girl walk away with Rashid, then looked at Treize. "You must be very proud of her."

"Oh, I am; very much. She is a good girl," Treize assured him. "Well, most of the time at least," he added with a little smirk.

The blond laughed. "I think have yet to meet anybody who is good all the time. And I'm not sure if I would want to meet such a person. It seems rather boring."

"Well, that's true I suppose," the older man agreed.

Treize was beginning to like Quatre more and more. The young man was nothing at all like one might imagine the heir to the Winner fortune to be. He seemed smart, polite, down to earth, and from the looks that he and his partner were exchanging ever so often, very much in love. As for his companion, Trowa; he seemed a very intelligent and quiet young man, definitely not one of those people who spoke just for the sake of hearing themselves talk.

"Now tell me; what else have you been doing since the last time we met?" the blond asked Wufei. "You are still working at IBG, aren't you?"

Wufei nodded. "Yep, I'm still working in the same research team, together with Doctor Po."

Trowa leaned over the table toward Treize. "Should we go inside and have drink, and give those two some time to talk?" he suggested quietly.

Treize nodded. "Sounds like an excellent idea. They probably have a lot to catch up on."

He rose from his chair, and followed the young man into the drawing room. The brunet gestured for him to have a seat before walking over to the bar. "Gin, cognac, whiskey…What would you like?"

"Cognac, with a splash of tonic water if you have it."

Trowa nodded. He mixed the drink and handed it to his guest before pouring a glass of whisky for himself.

Treize took a sip from his cognac, letting the liquid roll on his tongue for a moment before swallowing it. It was an excellent brand. "So," spoke, after a long moment of silence. "You went to high school together with Quatre and Wufei?"

"No, actually, I didn't meet Quatre until college," Trowa clarified. "His father hired me as his bodyguard."

"Oh, really?" Treize raised one eyebrow in surprise. "Not trying to be disrespectful, but weren't you a little young for a bodyguard back then."

"Perhaps," the brunet agreed. "But I had been trained for it, and my age was actually what got me the job in the first place. A former, business partner of Quatre's father, who was disgruntled about some kind of deal gone sour, had been causing all kinds of trouble for the Winner family and the company. Mister Winner was afraid that the man might go as far as kidnapping or harming his son. Since he didn't trust the police to be able to protect Quatre adequately, he hired me. I enrolled in the same college and took the same classes as Quatre so that I could be around him at all hours during the day."

"Ah, I see. The ancient story," Treize remarked humorously. "The protégé falls in love with his bodyguard."

Trowa laughed. "Not for a while though. Quatre was anything but pleased about having a "babysitter", how he called it, watching over him. He can act like a real spoiled brat if he wants to. We were butting heads quite a few times in the beginning."

"A little monster behind **that** angels face," Treize chuckled. "It's hard to believe."

"You better believe it. I'm not proud of it, but it's true."

The tawny haired man turned his head. Quatre and Wufei were standing in the door to the drawing room.

"**He** is the true angel." The blond gestured toward Trowa. "And it took for him to almost get killed before I realize that."

"People rarely die from being shot in the shoulder," his lover pointed out. He was somewhat embarrassed it seemed. Obviously he didn't like to talk about the incident.

Treize was curious to what had happened, but he didn't ask. If they wanted for him to know the whole story, he was sure they would tell it on their own.

"Do you mind if we join you?" Quatre change the subject. "It's starting to get a little cold outside"

"Of course not," Treize and Trowa replied almost in unison.

Once Wufei and Quatre had poured themselves something to drink, and settled down, the blond spoke. "Showing off our new home is actually only half the motive for inviting you here tonight," he revealed. "The other reason is that we wanted you to be the first to find out that Trowa and I are getting married." The two lovers exchanged a long gaze that spoke more than a thousand words.

"That's wonderful. I wish you two the best." Treize congratulated.

"Yes," Wufei agreed, "that's great news. Have you already set a date?"

Quatre shook his head. "But yet, but we have narrowed it down to either late spring or the end of summer. And I was wondering, if you would do me the honor and be my best man, Wufei?"

"Yes, of course. I would love to." Wufei was a little flabbergasted, but also honored by Quatre's request.

"Thank you."

When the kitchen staff informed Quatre that dinner was ready to be served Trowa called Rashid to let him know that it was time for him and Mariemaia to return.

The adults had already settled down in the dining room by the time the two of them got back.

"Did you have fun, Sweetie?" her father asked.

"I did." The young girl nodded enthusiastically. She was beaming, as she turned to Quatre. "You have beautiful horses, Mister Winner."

"Well, thank you," the blond replied. "But that compliment should go to Mister Barton. The horses belong to him. In fact, he raised most of them himself."

"Did you, really?" Marie gave Trowa a little smile as she took her seat at the table. "You are so lucky. I would like to have a horse too." She turned toward her father with a hopeful pleading look in her eyes. "Can I get one, please? It doesn't have to be big; a pony will due just fine."

"A horse?" Treize blinked. "What happened to a puppy or a kitten?"

"I'd much rather have a pony. May I?"

"Maybe you should have gotten that puppy while you still had a chance," Wufei chuckled.

As Treize gave his lover another one of his "Aren't you supposed to be on my side" looks, Trowa spoke up.

"How about a compromise?" he suggested. "As long as it is alright with your father you are welcome to visit us whenever you want. And I would be more than happy to teach you how to ride."

"Really?" Marie almost jumped from her chair in excitement. "Papa, is it alright?"

"Well, I would first have to talk about it with your grandfather, but I don't see any reason why he would object."

"Thank you. Thank you, Mister Barton and Mister Winner."

"You are quite welcome."

It was shortly after 7:30 when Trowa and Quatre said good bye to their guests.

"I'm sorry that we have to leave so early," Treize apologized, "but it's a school night for Marie, and I have to drop her off at her grandparents by 8:30."

"Don't worry about it," Quatre replied. "Thanks for coming in the first place."

"We need do this again some time soon," Wufei suggested. "Next time at our house."

The ginger-blond man nodded in approval. "Most certainly."

"Sounds like a plan," Trowa agreed, and his blond lover nodded.

"Good bye," Marie waved at the two young men before she climbed into the car.

"So, what do you think about Treize?" Quatre asked his lover, as they stood by the front door, watching the Mercedes drive off.

"He seems nice enough."

The blond nodded. "He does, doesn't he? And he really seems to adore Wufei. I'm so happy for them. And I **do** love the way the man thinks," he added with a suggestive smile. "Let's go take a closer look at that gift basket, shall we?"

"I thought you would never ask," Trowa smirked.

T.B.C.

Author's Note:


	5. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I realize that neko means plain and simple cat. For this fic however I took the liberty to make nekos a different species of humanoid felines. (imagine them a somewhat like Merle (Van's annoying friend) from Escaflowne. Basically like a human with cat ears, claws, fangs and tail, and not to forget a feline personality). Hopefully I'll soon have a picture of Zechs up too.

**The Purrfect Houseguest**

**Part 3**

Professor Noventa was in the middle of a conversation with his guest, when a small light started to blink on the intercom system, indicating that his secretary was trying to call him.

"Excuse me for a second." The professor pushed a button next to the light. "Yes, Miss Myers?"

"Dr Po is here, Professor. Do you want me to send her in?"

"Yes, please, we are waiting for her."

A moment later the door to his office opened and the young walked into the room. "You wanted to see me, Professor?"

"Yes, please have a seat, this might take a while. Have you met Inspector Otto from the OII yet?" Noventa gestured at his visitor, a young man with dark, curly hair.

"No, I don't think we've met." Sally gave the inspector a curt nod as she grabbed one of the extra chairs and pulled it closer to the desk. "But if you don't mind me asking, what's the OII doing here? I'm not under investigation, am I?"  
The Office of Internal Investigations, or OII for short, monitored science facilities to assure their compliance with the laws regarding cloning and biogenetics.

Otto smiled softly. "I **am** currently conducting an investigation, that's true However, it has nothing to do with you or your lab," he assured here. "I'm only here to request some assistance."

"What kind of assistance," Dr. Po asked curiously.

"What do you know about Gentec, Doctor?" the inspector wanted to know.

"Gentec?" the young woman echoed, somewhat surprised. "Not that much I'm afraid. It's a privately funded biogenetic company that's involved in pretty much the same research as IBG. I remember my father telling me that Gentec had offered him a job when he was still a young doctor, but he refused because he didn't agree with their work ethics. I also heard about a scandal involving the company several years ago, but I don't remember the details."

"All of that's correct," Otto confirmed. "Gentec's research is financed by the Romefeller foundation, a group made up of wealthy and influential European aristocrats. The company used to be one of the largest, if not THE largest biogenetic corporation, with more than two dozen laboratories all over the world. About six years ago it was discovered that Gentec was using recombinant DNA technology to breed endangered animals, and sell them on the black market to high paying private buyers. That led to the scandal you were referring to."

Dr. Po frowned. "They sold rare animals just so that some soiled rich people could lock them into gilded cages and show them off like trophies? That's outrageous. I'm not surprised my father didn't want anything to do with that kind of stuff."

"I agree," the inspector nodded. "But it appears that not everybody has those kinds of scruples. Gentec and Romefeller have been making good money from those sales for a very long time. Rumor even has it that they raised and sold nekos long after they were officially declared extinct."

Sally's frown turned into a scowl. "Unbelievable," she exclaimed. "Selling exotic pets is one thing, but nekos were no animals, they were humanoids. Don't we have anti-slavery laws against those kinds of practices?"

"Well, I can imagine it to be rather hard to regulate something that officially not exists," Professor Noventa pointed out.

"I suppose that's true," the doctor admitted.

"In any case," Otto continued. "After several warnings and hefty fines, eight of Gentec's facilities were closed down. Romefeller's lawyers tried to fight the shutdowns, but under the new laws that bind private research groups to the same rules as public labs, they really didn't have a leg to stand on. After that, things quieted down but we always had our suspicions that Gentec still continued with their illegal work. Unfortunately we had no proof until recently, when one of Gentec's own employees, a young lab assistant who had recently been transferred to a different facility, contacted the OII. I can't give you details, but if only half of what she told us is true, we will have enough cause to shut down Gentec permanently."

"And that's where you come in, Doctor Po." Noventa remarked.

Sally looked at him puzzled. "How so?"

"When we execute a search warrant on their lab tomorrow I want to take one or two experts along to make sure that any evidence we might find will be properly handled and processed,' Otto explained. "Professor Noventa suggested you and your assistant for the job. I'll send a car to pick you up tomorrow morning at 7:30."

Dr. Po inclined her head in acknowledgement. "Mr. Chang has the day off today, but I'll call him and let him know to come in early tomorrow."

"Thank you, Doctor. That will be all for now," Noventa told her. "We won't keep you any longer, I know you are busy."

Sally rose. "Inspector, Professor," She nodded curtly at the two men before leaving the office. The young woman was more than a little upset about what she had heard. Groups like Gentec were what gave cloning and biogenetics a bad reputation. She was only too happy to do what she could to help to stop them. And knowing Wufei; he probably felt the same way.

_What have I gotten myself into_? Wufei groaned inwardly, as a group of screaming kids raced past him and toward the school gate. It was career week at Mariemaia's school, that time of the year when the kids brought in and showed off their parents. How Marie exactly came up with the idea to invite him, he still wasn't sure.

_I hate giving speeches. How am I supposed to entertain a bunch of nine-year olds for forty-five minutes? They will probably be bored after ten_, Wufei thought, just as another group of kids rushed by, nearly knocking the binder that he was carrying out of his hand. He was almost ready to turn around and head back to the car when he felt Treize's hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

"Remind me again; why are we here?"

"Because you volunteered to talk to Marie's class about your job," the tawny haired man told him.

"Volunteered?" Wufei scowled at his lover. "You **made** me volunteer."

"I didn't put a gun to your head, did I?" Treize asked innocently.

"Of course not," the younger man snorted. "That wouldn't have gotten you anywhere. But taking away my panda slippers and hiding them, that was low."

Treize chuckled. "Oh come on, I only did it for Marie. But don't worry, Wufei, you will be doing fine," he reassured his lover softly, while gently prodding him toward the school building. "Let's go, it's too late to change your mind now."

Marie's teacher, a brunette woman in her mid-thirties, was already waiting for them. She greeted the two men with a friendly smile and a firm handshake. "Mr. Khushrenada, it's so nice to see you again. And you must be Mr. Chang. I'm glad you could make it. I'm Miss Harper, by the way, Mariemaia's class teacher."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Wufei told her.

"Let's go in, shall we?" she suggested. She opened the door to the classroom and cleared her throat.

After a few moments of shuffling the kids was sitting at their seats. All eyes were trained on their teacher and the two men by her side. Marie waved at them and Wufei smiled back at her.

"Class, as you can see, we have two guests this morning. I'm sure you all remember Mariemaia's dad, from last year's career week. And this," she gestured at Wufei, "is Mr. Chang. He is a scientist, and he will be talking to us about his job today. I want everybody to listen carefully. I'll be asking you questions later on. Mr. Chang, the class is all yours Mr. Khushrenada, if you want to can take a seat right next to your daughter."

"Thank you." Wufei cleared his throat and looked down at his binder. "Well, I thought I'll start by showing you a few photos. You can pass them around and look at them while I'm going to tell you about the IBG and my work there. Later you can ask me questions that you might have."

Wufei was surprised; the kids not only were quiet but actually seemed to be paying attention. He had been working for almost a week on his speech. Putting the concept of cloning and biogenetics into words a 9-year old could understand hadn't been easy. As soon as he was finished more than a dozen hands shot up.

"Yes," he asked a blond boy in the first row.

"Have you ever cloned a dinosaur?"

"No, no we haven't?"

"How about a mammoth or a saber tooth cat?" the boy wanted to know

Wufei shook his head. "No, we haven't worked with anything that has been extinct for that long. Those photos I passed around showed some of the animals cloned with our help. They are mainly endangered species."

"Mr. Hurlock from our Church group says cloning is wrong and should be outlawed," a girl with long black pig tails threw in. "He says we should not try to play god."

"I know, some people think that way," Wufei replied. "But I don't agree. Humans have been responsible for the extinction of most of those animals that are gone today. I think it's only fair that humans should do anything they can, to bring back what was lost through our mistakes." The young man pointed at another girl who had been raising her hand. "You have another question?"

"My dad says that a lot of animals became extinct because some selfish people hunted and killed them until there was none left. But what about nekos, how did they die?"

"You mean there really was such thing as nekos?" a tall, husky boy blurred out. "I always thought they were make-believe, just like the Loch Ness monster, or the Yeti."

"No, nekos really existed. They were intelligent feline humanoids who lived alongside humans for thousands of years," Wufei explained. "As for your question …From what we know they died from a disease, that was carried and spread by common house cats and that only affected nekos. It was a fast moving epidemic, and at the time there was no cure for it. Within a few decades almost 90 of the neko population was whipped out. The same disease can be still found in housecats today, but it can be cured easily with a simple medication. Unfortunately the discovery of that drug came about a century too late for the nekos."

"That's so sad," the girl who had asked the question remarked. "Are you going to make some neko clones, just like you did with other animals?"

"Not any time soon, because they are NOT animals," the young man pointed out. "Nekos were humanoids and therefore we are not allowed to clone them. Perhaps in the future once we have learned everything there is about cloning and its effects somebody will be able to do it."

"I'm afraid we will have to stop here." Miss Harper announced before Wufei could take another question, eliciting moans of disappointment from the class. She raised here hand to quiet the children. "I know, I know, not everybody got to ask a question. But unfortunately we are out of time. The bell will ring any moment. Let's all thank Mr. Chang for his wonderful representation. I think we all learned a lot today, haven't we?"

"Duke Dermail, what a surprise. It's been a while since we talked last. What can I do for you?"

"This is not a courtesy call, Dr. Tubarov," Dermail replied curtly. The gray-haired leader of Romefeller looked serious. "I just got word that the OII acquired a search warrant against your facility."

Tubarov have an exasperated huff. "One would thing they have better things to do to than constantly harass us. They are probably just fishing in the dark again, hoping to find something they can use against us?"

"Well, it seems that this time it's a little more serious," Dermail replied. "One of your own employees blew the whistle."

"Who?"

"I don't have a name; I just know it is one of your female lab assistants."

"Noin," Tubarov growled.

"Excuse me?" the duke asked puzzled.

"That's her name; Lucrezia Noin. I'm positive it is her. She had been transferred from Victoria only a few weeks ago."

"How much does she know?"

"Enough to cause serious trouble," the Doctor remarked grimly. "She has been working with me on the neko project."

"Leave the woman to us," Dermail ordered. "You just make sure that all incriminating data is transferred and removed from your computers by tomorrow morning. I'll have our lawyers on standby in case they are needed."

"You have nothing to worry about, your Excellency," Tubarov assured him. "The OII won't find as much as a dirty Petri dish when they come. But what do you want us to do about him?"

"Have him moved to the new lab in Brazil. We can't afford loosing him now. We have already put too much time and money into the project."

"Understood, Sir. I'll take care of everything right away."

As soon as his conversation with Duke Dermail had ended, the doctor placed a call down to the holding area.

"Mueller, I just got orders from the top; we will be transferring to Brazil ahead of schedule. Prepare Zechs for transport, you will be moving him tonight."

"What happened?" the man on the other end of the line asked.

"Apparently Noin ran to the OII and cried her heart out. We will be having visitors tomorrow morning."

"That bitch," Mueller growled. "I knew she was trouble."

T.B.C.

Another author's note: This chapter was hard to write. I wanted to explain a few things regarding nekos, Romefeller and Gentec and they way many of the characters in the story are connected, but I didn't want to do it by using a narrator. Hopefully the chapter didn't turn out too boring.

What's to come: In the next chapter we will finally meet Zechs. Marie, Treize and Wufei take their weekend trip. Zechs is taking a trip too, but he and his handlers don't seem to agree on the destination.


	6. Chapter 4

Rikkali : when I said feline personality, I didn't mean feline behavior. I was referring to the way cats are very independent, proud and self-serving creatures that like to dominate, rather than to serve and please in the way dogs do.

**The Purrfect Houseguest**

**Part 4**

A pair of pale blond ears twitched, as he listened to the sound of approaching voices. He kept his eyes closed and his breathing deep and even, well aware that he was possibly being watched. There was no reason to give away that he was already awake.

He could hear two different people speak, but he didn't recognize their voices or their scent. No, they were definitely not any of his handlers. _Who are they, and where am I?_

When he had woken up only a short time ago, he had found himself in the back of a moving truck, locked into a large cage. There were no windows, and no way for him to tell where they were taking him.

His handlers had transported him before, but he was always sedated and never woke up before they reached their destination. What happened this time, he wasn't sure. Perhaps somebody made a mistake when mixing the drugs, or maybe he had been drugged so many times that he had developed some kind of resistance against the sedative.

He had still been pondering about it, when the truck had suddenly stopped. Since then he was lying in the dark, listening, waiting for something to happen…

The phone on his nightstand rang in the middle of the night.  
Sleepy he gazed at the illuminated numbers on the clock radio, as he reached for the receiver. It was a quarter to one. "Tubarov here."

"This is Alex."

"Do you realize what time it is?" the doctor asked his assistant, sounding more than just a little disgruntled.

"Yes, I do," the other man replied. "But this can't wait till tomorrow. Zechs has gone missing."

"What?" Tubarov was bright awake in an instant. A bucket of ice water poured over his head couldn't have had a better effect than Alex's statement. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. The truck that was taking him to the airfield has disappeared."

"How is that possible? Where were you and Mueller?"

"We were following the truck just like we always do, but after stopping at a traffic light we got boxed for a moment in by another car. We lost sight of the truck but continued to the airport, thinking that we would eventually catch up with it. When we didn't, I tried to contact the driver but he never answered. That was almost an hour ago. They still haven't shown up at the airfield. What do you want us to do?"

"Damn it," Tubarov cursed. "Who was driving that truck?"

"Parker."

The doctor frowned. Jim Parker had been working for Gentec for a long time, nobody could have expected that he would do something crazy; especially something as crazy as stealing a neko. "Call the lab and have them send out a security team to look for the truck. I'll contact Romefeller."

"As you wish, Dr." Alex replied. "I'll call back if there is any news."

Tubarov groaned as he hung up the phone. Just when he had thought things could not get any worse."

"So, you are really trying to tell me that you have a neko in there, do you?" The small, corpulent man with a reclining hairline, gestured toward the steel gray vehicle with the Gentec logo, that stood between dozen of other trucks in a large parking structure.

The other man snorted. "You don't even believe your own brother?"

"Oh I believe that you have some kind of rare animal in there, but a neko…? That sounds a little farfetched, don't you agree?"

Jim Parker gave another snort. "Let me prove it to you then, Mr. Skeptic."

"Hey, wait a second," his older brother raised his hand and took a step back as Jim headed toward the back of the truck. "You are not going to let it out, are you?"

"Of course not. How stupid do you think I am? It is caged in," the trucker told his brother, as he ran his keycard through the automatic lock. "Besides, it is asleep. I talked with one of the people that work with the thing. He said it won't wake up for hours." He pulled open the heavy metal doors. "There it is our ticket to riches. Take a good look, Frank."

Frank stepped cautiously closer, relieved when he saw that the inside of the truck really was divided into four large cages. Three of the cages were empty. In the fourth lay, stretched out on a makeshift bed and partially covered with a blanket, what looked like a tall human; a human with long silvery blond hair, a pair of catlike ears and…  
"Holy shit, look at those claws," the man exclaimed. "I would not want to get into a fight with that thing. I bet he could rip your throat out in a heartbeat."

_You better believe it_. Zechs didn't move. Through half-lidded eyes he watched the two men wearily. Neither of them seemed to realize that he was awake.

The shorter of the two squatted down by the iron bars regarding the neko for a few moments wordlessly, before asking: "Can you open the door? I want to touch him."

_Don't even think about it. Do I look like some kind of stuffed animal that wants to be petted? Keep your greasy paws to yourself._

"No, I can't," Jim replied. "My keycard only works on the truck itself; it won't let me open the cage. So, let's just wait, alright. The buyer should be here any moment now."

"Who is that guy anyhow?" Frank asked as he rose to his feet and turned toward his brother. "I mean the guy has to be filthy rich if he can afford to cash out a million credits to buy himself a neko. What does he want with that thing anyway; keep it as some kind of pet?"

The younger man, leaning against the side of the truck with his arms crossed in front of his chest, shrugged. "I really couldn't care less, to tell the truth. Once he pays me he can do whatever he wants with it. The only thing that matters to me is that you and I will be rich soon."

"How did you find the guy?"

"I didn't. He found me. He contacted me several months ago. For some reason he knew that I was working as a truck driver for Gentec." Jim grinned. "I always knew that this job would provide for a comfortable living, I just had no idea it would be that comfortable. – Ah, there they are now." He gestured toward a group of vehicles, a small truck, followed by two black BMWs, which had just entered the parking structure.

Zechs eyes narrowed as he watched the two men walk away and out of his sight. He had heard enough to figure out what was going on, and he couldn't say that he liked it. It was not as though he was very attached to Gentec, the scientists there or his handlers, but he liked the idea of being sold to somebody else even less. But perhaps he could do something about that. Perhaps, this was the chance he had been waiting for for a long time.  
The silver-haired neko moved slightly, rearranging himself into a more comfortable position. He had been lying like this for a long time now and he could feel the strain on his limbs. He didn't want them to fall asleep, he needed to be able to move, and move quickly when the time came.  
It was also getting colder, and he could barely stop himself from shivering. He was dressed only in a tee-shirt and a pair of sweat pants. The thin blanket that somebody had thrown over him did little to protect him from the cool night air.

Jim Parker recognized Roberto Ventuno right away, even though he only met the man once before. He was tall, black-haired; broad shouldered, and wore a grey, tailor-made suit that made him look like he had just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Ventuno was accompanied by several guys who appeared to be his bodyguards, and a skinny, nervous looking man who was clutching a black leather bag in his hands.

"Everything went as planned, Mr. Ventuno," Jim informed the man eagerly.

The Italian nodded in acknowledgement before turning his head toward the older of the Parker brothers.

"This is my brother," Jim answered the unspoken question. "He helped me getting rid of your escort."

"I see," Ventuno gave another nod. "What about the neko? Has he been behaving himself?"

"Oh yes, no problems at all. They sedated him before we left. He is still out."

"Wonderful, that will make things a lot easier." Ventuno turned toward the skinny man at his side. "Won't it, Dr. Schwartzberg?"

"I suppose it will," the doctor agreed.

"Well, I guess that's it then. You got your neko; here is the key to the truck. Now, if you'd pay us we will be on our way." Jim parker was eager to get his money and leave. There was something about Ventuno that made him feel very uneasy and intimidated.

"Not so fast. I want to see him first. You don't expect me to buy "the cat in the sack" do you?"

Jim forced himself to smile at the Italian's cheap joke. "Of course not. But I don't have the key to open the cage he is in."

"No problem. I expected that much. Diego!"

One of Ventuno's men retrieved a small handheld device from one of the cars. He disappeared into the back of the Gentec truck to do something. A few moments later he re-appeared and nodded at his boss. "It's open."

"Well done!" Ventuno turned toward the doctor. "He is all yours. We need a blood test and a DNA test. How long do you think it will take before you get the results?"

"I should have the blood analyzed for you by tomorrow morning. The DNA will take a little longer," Schwartzberg replied.

"That sounds acceptable." Before the Italian climbed onto the truck behind the doctor, he turned to his bodyguards. "Keep the tranquilizer guns ready. I don't want any surprises whatsoever."

Zechs pressed his teeth together to keep them from chattering. He was freezing now. With his chin tucked against his chest he watched from beneath long, silvery fringes as two more strangers climbed onto his truck. He struggled to keep his breathing under control, trying hard not to give away that he was awake.

The two strangers looked down at him for a few moments before the taller, dark-haired man spoke.

"Go ahead, Dr., take the blood sample. We don't have all night."

"Right." The other man opened the unlocked cage door and stepped hesitantly closer. When he set the bag he was carrying down next to the neko and bent forward to open it, Zechs decided that it was time to act.

The doctor let out a rather undignified yelp and stumbled backward when the neko suddenly snarled at him, exposing a set of intimidating fangs.

Zechs moved like liquid lightning. In one fluid movement he was on his feet, grabbed the retreating man on his shoulders and hurled him toward his companion like a rag doll. The impact knocked both men to the ground. Without hesitation Zechs leaped over the two bodies and out of the truck.

"Stop him," Ventuno yelled at his men, as he pushed away the still shocked doctor, and scrambled to his feet. "Don't let him get away!"

The blond neko scowled as two of the bodyguards tried to block his path. _Out of my way, you fools_. He pushed one of the men aside with his shoulder, while at the same time lashing out at the second, slashing him across the face with his claws. The man screamed in a mixture of pain and shock as he stumbled backward, and covered his bleeding face with his hands.

Zechs dashed over the parking lot, trying to find cover between parked cars and trucks. Behind him he could hear yelling and then a few low popping sounds, just before something hit him at the right shoulder. The neko hissed in pain as he reached up and pulled out a small arrow-like object. He had seen those projectiles before. They were the same kind of tranquilizer darts the scientist at Gentec used to sedate animals.

Although Zechs managed to remove the dart almost instantly, the damage was already done. The projectiles were designed to release their sedatives on impact. It didn't take long before he could feel the effects. His legs started to feel like lead, and it became difficult to even keep his eyes open. The neko stumbled more than he walked. At one point he tripped over a curb and was barely able to break his fall. The sudden stab of pain in his knees and the sounds of his pursuers closing in on him, sent another jolt of adrenalin through his body.  
Zechs struggled to push himself up, fighting drowsiness and the temptation to just curl up and go to sleep.

"Where exactly are you planning on keeping him," Dr. Schwartzberg asked, while he watched as Ventuno's men combed the parking lot for the escaped neko. "My laboratory is too small, and in no way equipped to …"

"Don't worry about it," the other man replied. "We won't need to keep him alive for a very long time anyway."

Schwartzberg's jaw dropped. "Wait a second. You never said anything about killing him. I thought the plan was to sell him."

"Oh, I'm still intending to do that," Ventuno replied with a dark grin, "just not in one piece. Can you even imagine how many research centers out there would pay a fortune to get their hands on a fresh tissue sample of a real neko?"

The doctor shook his head. "This isn't right. If I had any idea that that's what you are planning I would have never agreed to help you."

"Cut it out, Dr. Don't give me that kind of crap. You are in on this for the money as much as I am, so don't get all mushy on me now. This thing isn't even human. Besides," the man's grin turned sarcastic. "He might be doing something good for his own kind. Who knows, he might become the ancestor of a new generation of nekos."

"Still I don't know…"

"That's enough, Dr," Ventuno interrupted him sharply. "If I wanted your opinion I would have asked for it. All I want from you is to examine him and analyze his blood so that we can offer proof to any potential buyer that we have a pure bred neko in our possession. Did I make myself clear?"

T.B.C.

Author's Note: I realize I said that Treize and family would go on their weekend trip in this chapter, but that never happened yet. But don't blame it on me; it's all Zech's fault. He insisted that he deserved a whole chapter for himself. Nekos! shakes head You offer them your little finger and they take your whole hand.

I'm not sure what's the problem with , but some changes they made recently once again mess with my scene breaks. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to change my layout for a 4th time just to keep up with them . If you can't find the scene breaks I suggest you go and read the story on my website (URL can be found on my member page) or at media miner. I don't think I'm going to continue posting here much longer anyway

For those (mainly the readers at and mediaminer) who haven't seen the picture of Neko Zechs yet, check it out on my website


	7. Chapter 5

**The Purrfect Houseguest**

**Part 5**

Zechs woke up disoriented. When his senses started to return he could hear the sound of an engine, then he realized that the ground he was laying on was moving. Curiously he opened first one then both eyes and found that the ceiling above him was made of heavy, grey canvas, thick enough to shut out any light.

Slowly his memory started to return. His eyes narrowed as he recalled what had happened to him. He had been running from his pursuers, fighting fatigue and drowsiness. He remembered finding a truck that was loaded with containers and covered with tarp. Somehow he had managed to climb onto the vehicle and hide between the containers before he collapsed. After that everything went black. He must have passed out, and could only speculate about what had happened since.  
For some reason his pursuers didn't find him, and while he was sleeping off the effects of the tranquilizer dart the truck he was hiding on had been moved from the parking lot. The neko had no idea for how long he had been sleeping, or where the truck was going, but he knew that he needed to get off the vehicle before it reached its destination.

But at least for the moment he was safe. Zechs allowed himself to relax somewhat. He rose to his knees and crawled to the very back of the truck. Pushing aside the canvas he peeked out carefully. It was still dark, but a few golden streaks painted across the sky indicated the approaching sunrise. He gazed around. There was no other vehicle in sight. It looked like they were driving along some isolated mountain road.

Shivering in the cold night air, the neko dropped the tarp and inched back to his hiding place to consider his situation and what to do next. He really only had two options. Either he could take a risk and jump from the truck while it was moving, or he could wait for it to stop somewhere. But that too had its risk, since there was no saying when and where the vehicle was going to stop next.

As Zechs glanced around he noticed a few metal objects in the very corner of the truck bed. _Tools_, he thought with a satisfied nod. _I could try to open one of these metal crates and see what's inside. Maybe I'll find something useful._

Alfredo Costano yawned. His right hand left the steering wheel to rub his eyes. He hated to have to get up in the middle of the night, but he liked driving in the early morning hours when barely anybody else was on the road.

"Want some coffee?" His friend and colleague asked.

Alfredo opened his mouth to answer when a noise in the back of their truck cut him off. He frowned and exchanged a look with the man on the seat beside him. "What was that?"

"Sounds like one of the containers might have gotten loose. Pull over," Pat Callahan suggested. "I'll go and check it out."

As the driver brought the truck to a stop on the side of the road, Pat reached for the flashlight beneath his seat and climbed out of the cockpit. He walked around the vehicle and started to undo the leather buckles that held together the tarp covering. When he was about half-way done, he heard another noise; more quiet this time, more like a scraping sound. The men hesitated for a moment before opening the last clasps. He pushed aside the canvas and froze. From inside the truck something was staring back at him. In the glow of his flashlight he could clearly see the outlines of a tall, slender being, a pair of pointed, furry ears, silvery hair and glowing eyes.

Pat let out a yelp and dropped his flashlight as the creature suddenly moved toward him. He threw up his arms to defend himself, sure that he was going to be attacked. The creature however never even touched him as it jumped off the truck and dashed passed him. With shaking knees the man ran back to the cockpit.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Don't ask, just drive…drive!" Pat yelled at his colleague before he had even closed the door.

Alfredo stepped onto the gas pedal. "What's wrong? You look like you have seen a ghost?"

"A ghost?" the other man shook his head. "I don't think so." He carefully peeked at the rearview mirror and gave a sigh of relief when he saw that nothing was following them. "Alfredo…do you believe…do you think there really is such thing as werewolves?"

"What?" His friend gave him a surprised look. "Are you drunk or something?"

Wufei was sitting on the couch, watching the evening news when Treize walked into the living room. The tawny-haired man let out a sigh of relief. "She is finally asleep."

Mariemaia had been so excited about their upcoming weekend trip, that it had been hard to get her to calm down that evening. It wasn't until her father had threatened to scrap the whole trip if she kept making excuses to get out of bed that she had finally settled down and gone to sleep.

"Did you see this?" Wufei nodded toward the TV, where a reporter was just updating the viewers on a case of double murder they had been reporting about earlier.

Treize nodded. He had been watching TV when the story first broke. Apparently some jogger had found what looked like an abandoned truck near an old landfill, and after closer inspection discovered the bodies of two men inside the vehicle. The police had only confirmed that both men had been shot in the back of the head, execution style. It was nothing he hadn't heard before.  
"Yes, I have heard about it, why?" he asked as he settled down on the couch next to his lover.

"That truck the bodies were found in," Wufei said. "It belongs to Gentec a biotech research group."

"Yes?!"

"I spent most of the day today in one of there labs."

The tawny-haired man gave him a questioning look.

"You remember Dr Po calling yesterday and asking me to come in early this morning?"

Treize nodded. Of course he remembered.

"Well, it turned out that internal affairs asked us to help them in an investigation against Gentec. Professor Noventa sent Dr. Po and me along when the OII raided one of their laboratories."

"What are you trying to say? Do you think those murders and the investigation have anything to do with each other?"

"I don't know," Wufei shrugged. "But there was something very odd about that place."

Treize frowned. "Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked. Wufei usually didn't talk much about his job. He didn't like to "bring his work home", as he said.

"Well, for one, the employees seemed a little too eager and helpful, considering that they had just learned that they were accused of doing illegal research," the younger man explained.

"And did you find any evidence to support those accusations?"

Wufei shook his head. "No, but that's what even more odd. There was nothing; absolutely nothing. From what I have seen you couldn't even fault them for the slightest health code violation. But the oddest thing was that in some of the labs we found computers that seemed to have been cleaned out; as though somebody had wiped the entire hard drive just recently. When asked, one of the doctors explained that that was exactly what had happened. A new assistant had accidentally infected the system with a virus a few days earlier, that crashed a number of computers before it could be stopped. Supposedly the woman, her name was Noin I believe, had been fired on the spot. He suggested that she might have gone to the OII and made those accusations against Gentec as an act of revenge."

"That sounds plausible, don't it?" Treize said.

"It does," Wufei agreed. "However, wouldn't you think that, if things really happened as Dr. Tubarov said, Gentec would be more than happy to get their lost data back? But when one of OII's computer specialists offered to retrieve any data he could, the atmosphere turned suddenly from friendly and helpful to almost hostile. A short time later some of Romefeller's layers showed up, and produced some kind of papers that ended the search right then and there."

For a split second Treize's eyes narrowed. "Did you say Romefeller?"

"Yes. They are funding Gentec's work. Why?"

"No reason," Treize made a dismissive gesture. "However, I think you are worrying too much. Let internal affairs deal with Gentec and Romefeller. After all, that's what they are being paid for, is it not?"

"I guess," Wufei admitted. He turned sideways and leaned back until he was resting comfortably against the older man's chest. His lover's right arm snaked around his waist pulling him even closer. "It's just…Sally told me…"

"Sally?" Treize raised one eyebrow in question.

"Dr Po," the younger man corrected himself.

"I had no idea that the two of you are on a first name basis."

Wufei huffed. "Are you jealous?"

The tawny haired man dipped his head, placing the ghost of a kiss on the back of his lover's neck before whispering. "Should I be?"

"Should I be jealous of all those women drooling over you when you are at a book signing?" Wufei shot back.

Treize gave a deep, bubbling chuckle. "That's different. They are just crazy fans, you can't take those serious. Dr Po on the other hand is a young, intelligent and good-looking woman…"

"Hey!" Wufei got hold of one of the pillows beside him and smacked the older man over the head. "You must know her rather well to make such assessments."

Treize gave another burst of laughter as he grabbed his lover's wrists. He flipped the young man onto his back and pinned him down. Wufei struggled halfheartedly, but his struggles ceased immediately when the older man dipped his head, and covered his mouth in a kiss. His lover's tongue traced his lips gentle, begging for entrance. When Wufei parted them slightly in compliance, a tongue slipped between them, plundering the hot cavern of his mouth.

When their lips parted Treize placed a trail of kisses along the young man's chin. Wufei groaned and closed his eyes with a content sigh, as he raised his chin, giving the tawny haired man better access. Treize released the young man's wrists. He nibbled and kissed his way down Wufei's neck, raising delicate little bruises on the sensitive flesh. At the same time his right hand slipped beneath his lover's shirt, his fingertips teasing the hot, silky skin.

"No!"

The tawny-haired man pushed himself up on his hands and knees and looked at Wufei in a mixture of surprise and confusion. "What's wrong?"

"We shouldn't..." Wufei panted. "Not here. Let's go into the bedroom."

"Right!" Treize gave him a somewhat sheepish grin. "Marie might wake up."

The young man nodded. The last thing he wanted was for the girl to walk in on her father and him. He had been embarrassed enough that time when she found him in Treize's bed, not long after he had moved in.

:::: Begin Flashback :::

"Papa!"

Wufei rose from his sleep, startled and disoriented. How did he get into Treize's bed? Then he remembered. His shoulders had been bothering him, and Treize had offered to give him a massage. Under the man's skillful hands he must have fallen asleep.  
Apparently so did Treize, because he seemed just as drowsy, as he looked at his daughter, standing in the door to his bedroom. "Marie, what's wrong?"

"I had a nightmare. Can I sleep in your bed?"

"Of course, Honey."

As Mariemaia stepped closer she finally noticed Wufei, who at that moment wished that the earth would open up and swallow him on the spot.  
Marie looked at her father than back him, and with the innocence of an eight year old asked: "Uncle Wufei, did you have a nightmare too?"

Wufei flushed, as he slipped out of bed and reached for his shirt on the floor. "Well… yes…I…I feel a lot better though. I'll go back to my own bed now."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely sure," Wufei assured her as he fled the room. "Good night!"

"Good night, Uncle Wufei."

::: End Flashback :::

Zechs leaned against a cedar tree, closing his eyes in exhaustion. Through his thin shirt he could feel the rough bark. His left ankle was swollen and sore. Somehow he must have twisted it when he jumped off the truck earlier in the morning.  
_So much for the myth about nekos never getting hurt, because they always land on their feet_, he thought with a tinge of biting sarcasm.

In spite of his injured leg Zechs had been on the move most of the day. He had no idea where he was, aside from the fact that it was somewhere in a rather desolate mountain area. At the foot of the mountain he had seen something that looked like a small town, but other than that he had only come across a handful of isolated houses.

Common sense dictated for him to stay as far away from humans as possible. But on the other hand, where there were humans, there was probably also some food.  
He had not eaten anything for more than 24 hours, and by now he was starving. During the day it had been comfortably warm, but as soon as the sun set the temperature had dipped drastically. Zechs decided that right now his first priority was to find food and shelter.

Nekos were known for their survival instincts, but how was he supposed to survive in a world that was totally foreign to him. Up to now he had spent his entire life behind the walls of research facilities and laboratories. The world beyond those walls was something he knew only from videos and TV.

Zechs sighed, as he pushed away from the tree. He couldn't rest yet. First he needed to find a place to spend the night, preferable a place where he was at least somewhat sheltered from the elements.

* * *

T.B.C.

Author's Note: This will be my last update on till they find a way to make it possible again to use symbols to create breaks between scenes.


	8. Chapter 6

**The Purrfect Houseguest**

**Part 6**

"Papa, why didn't Uncle Wufei come with us?"

Treize, looking at his daughter's reflection in the rearview mirror, couldn't help but smile. He could not be happier about the way Mariemaia had embraced Wufei. Treize had not been in a series, long term relationship since his divorce from Leia, and he had been worried that Marie would be upset about somebody else taking her mothers place. But obviously, his worried had been unfounded. He was sure now that Marie would be happy for him and Wufei, even if they decided to take their relationship to the next level.  
"I'm sorry, Honey, but Wufei had to work this morning. But he will come and join us later on. So, don't worry, you will have plenty of time to play with him."

"Great," Marie replied, looking up from the video game she had brought along to kill time, just long enough to give her father a smile. "Can we later go and say **Hi **to Mr. and Mrs. Garner? I haven't seen Rex for such a long time."

Treize nodded. "In fact, we'll have to drive by there right now. I forgot the keys to our cabin, so we will have to pick up the spare."

Mr. Garner was a retired police officer. He and his wife lived year around at Deer Creek. Aside from growing their own fruits and vegetables in their garden and making the best Blueberry wine Treize had ever tasted, the garners watched over their neighbor's houses while they were gone. Most of the people here lived and worked in the city, and used their cabins only as weekend and vacation retreats.

Mariemaia looked up, chuckling. "Weren't you the one who kept telling me over and over to make sure not to forget anything?" she asked. "Well I guess it's alright for you to forget a thing or two," she added with a straight face. "Grandma always says with age comes forgetfulness."

Treize raised one eyebrow. "Excuse me? I'm not that old, you know."

Mr. Garner was working in his front yard, tinkering with his lawn tractor, when Treize pulled up at their house. The moment Marie climbed out of the car, a large German Sheppard dog, which had been resting at his owner's side, jumped up and ran toward her.

"Hello, Rex. I'm happy to see you too."

Rex had been Officer Garner's K-9 partner when he was younger. After they retired together he just became a normal, spoiled pet.

The old man put aside his screwdriver and wiped his hands on a piece of cloth, as he rose. "Mr. Khushrenada. How nice to see you again. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"It sure has," Treize agreed, as he walked over to his neighbor to shake hands.

Garner turned to Mariemaia with a friendly smile. "And look at you, Marie; you are getting bigger and prettier every time I see you. Not long and you will be all grown up."

"Thank you," Marie smiled bashfully.

"So, did you come up here for the long holiday weekend?"

Treize nodded. "Right now, however, we can't even get into the house. I forgot the keys. That's why we came by to get the spare."

"Ah, I see, no problem," the old man nodded understandingly. "Marie, will you do me a favor and go inside and ask my wife to give you the keys," he winked at her and lowered his voice. "She is baking cookies this morning. I'm sure the first batch is out of the oven already."

"Alright," Mariemaia laughed. "I'll be right back. Come on Rex, let's go."

The two men watched as the little girl and the dog raced each other to the front door. "She really is getting big, isn't she," Garner sighed. "I still remember her being barely able to walk and talk. So, how have you been? Any new books published?"

"No actually I'm just about to finish up a new script. I'm hoping to get some writing done while we are up here," Treize told him. "How about yourself? Anything new?"

The old man made a dismissive gesture. "You know, nothing ever happens up here. The most excitement we had was probably the raccoon that tried to get into the storage shed last night."

"A Raccoon?" Treize echoed.

"Well, I assume it was a raccoon, but I didn't actually see it. Rex chased it off before I even got a look. But I have seen them before going through people's garbage cans."

"Interesting. I had no idea there were raccoons up here."

Just then Marie came skipping back, keys in one hand and a bag of freshly baked cookies in the other.

"Well, thanks for taking care of the house while we were gone. We will see you later."

The old man gave his neighbor a nod. "I'll come by tomorrow and bring you some fresh boysenberries."

"That's really not necessary." Treize declined politely.

"But I insist. We have so many berries this year I'll be eating nothing but boysenberry pie from here till Christmas if I can't give some away," Garner smirked.

"Well, in that case, we are happy to take some. And thanks for the cookies."

"Do you mind if I come by later and take Rex for a walk?" Marie asked, before she climbed back into the car.

"Oh, I'm sure he would love that; wouldn't you Rex."

The dog raised his ears and tilted his head at the mentioning of his name.

* * *

After helping her father to unload the car, Marie carried her backpack, filled with toys and games, up to her room. He would bring the other, heavier bag up later. By the time she came back downstairs her father was in the kitchen, putting away groceries.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. "Do you want me to make you something for lunch?"

Mariemaia shook her head. "Not yet, thank you. Can I go play outside?"

"Sure, but stay near the house, you know I don't want you to go into the woods on your own."

"I know, I know. I'll stay in the backyard," she assured him. "Do you know where my jump rope is?"

"Probably in the storage shed," her father replied. "The key is hanging by the back door."

"Thanks!" Marie grabbed the key on her way out. The storage shed next to the house was more like an extension to the garage, yet it was separated and had its own entrance. It was the place where they kept outside toys, fishing gear and other things that were barely ever used.  
When the little red-head tried to open the door she found that it was already unlocked, but she never even gave it a second thought. Instead she started to rummage through a couple of toy boxes. She couldn't find the jump rope she was looking for, but she came across the self-made rocket launcher that her dad, Wufei and she had built the last time they were up here.

Marie couldn't help but giggle when she remembered that day. Originally the plan had been to build a water rocket, but that ended in disaster, and with all three of them soaking wet. After that the 'rocket scientists' had revised their plans, when Wufei suggested using an old air pump, one of those that are operated by foot, and making an air powered rocket.

The young girl picked up the rocket and opened it. The Captain Cruiser action figure was still sitting inside the small cockpit, glued to his seat, just like they had left him. "Hello there, Captain," Marie laughed. She had to rummage some more before she found the pump. "Let's see if you still can fly."

After he had finished putting away all the food they had brought along, Treize decided to take the opportunity to get some writing done before Wufei arrived in the afternoon.

With his laptop and a big glass of lemonade the tawny-haired man went out onto the front patio. The sun was shining, and it was comfortably warm; a perfect day to sit outside and let the creative juices flow.

Before settling down however he decided to check up on his daughter. He walked into the backyard just as she stepped out of the storage shed.

"Papa, look what I have found." She held up a silvery toy rocket. "Do you remember this?"

"I sure do," Treize laughed. How could he not. I spite of their mishaps they has spent a wonderful afternoon together building it. "Does it still fly?"

Marie shrugged. "I'll find out soon enough."

"Well, have fun," he told her. "I'll be on the patio if you need me. Let me know when you get hungry."

"I will," she promised.

Mariemaia had no idea that she was being watched as she set up the rocket set in the garden. Her father had long since gone back into the house.

Finally she was done. The rocket was connected to the launcher, pumped up and ready for takeoff.

"5…4…3…2…1…" Marie jumped onto the pump with both feet. "Lift off!"

She watched the little silver missile shoot into the air, higher than the house; higher even than the tallest trees. When he came back down the tip of the rocket opened up, releasing a parachute that helped it glide safely to the ground, just a few feet from where it had been launched.

Marie fired the rocket a second and a third time without problems. It was at the fourth launch when a sudden gust of wind caught the toy, sending it spiraling out of control right into one of the trees at the edge of the backyard.

_Oh no, I hope it won't get stuck._

The red-head ran to the tree. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she gazed up, and surely enough the rocket's parachute was tangled in a tree branch.

"Control center we have a problem. We need to take action to rescue Captain Cruiser. – Don't worry, Captain. I'll get you safely down."

Marie tried to shake the tree but it was just too big. She looked up again, pondering. The limb where the toy was stuck wasn't really that high. "I think I can reach it," she murmured lost in thought. "I just need to find something to climb on."

* * *

Hidden in the shadows of some trees and bushes, Zechs watched the little, red-haired girl in silent fascination.

He had been rather lucky last night. First he had been able to steal a few apples at one place, before being chased off by a dog, and then he found this house. It was empty, and he seemed that nobody had lived here for quite a while. He had managed to pick the lock on a small shed. It wasn't the most comfortable place, but at least he got to spend the night protected from the elements. He had hoped to be able to stay here for a few days, but that hope was shattered when a car arrived around midday. Startled he had left the shed and found himself a hiding spot in the backyard, where he waited for an opportunity to escape unseen.  
And then the little girl appeared. She was so enthralled in her game; she never even noticed that she wasn't alone.

Zechs couldn't explain it, but watching her play was, in a strange way, relaxing.  
There had been no other nekos, or human children in the facilities where he had grown up. So, he had never had a chance to play with somebody, or watch somebody else play.  
_Except for once, but…_Zechs shook his head, banning the memory from his mind.

The neko frowned as the girl propped a white garden chair under the tree. _What is she trying to do?_

* * *

With the help of a chair Marie managed to pull herself up onto the lowest tree branch. She had always been very athletic, and climbing a tree was really not that hard. She had done it before.

As she got higher the branches became thinner and less sturdy. Cautiously she climbed farther until she could see the rocket right above her. There was only one more branch that separated her from the toy. The only problem was that the limb looked brown, dead and not very strong. Mariemaia hesitated. She was so close. Should she give up now? She held on to the tree with one hand and stretched as far as she could, trying to reach for the rocket with the other hand. But it was no use. She was just a few inches short.

_Maybe if I set only one foot onto the dead branch, that would give me the extra height I need?_ Carefully she put her right foot up. The limb seemed to support her just fine. She reached out again, and this time her fingertips brushed against the rocket. She got up on the tips of her toes. But just as her hand closed around the toy she could here a cracking sound. Startled Mariemaia tried to find a better balance, but it was already too late. The branch beneath her gave away. She reached out in a futile attempt to hold on to something; then she fell.

Marie was too shocked even to cry out. Instinctively she closed her eyes, as she expected to hit the ground hard. But it never happened. Instead her drop was suddenly cut short, when she fell into a pair of strong arms.

The young girl blinked, surprised. When her eyes focused saw a face above her; a handsome, but concerned looking face, with long, silvery hair, crystal blue eyes, and … a pair of pointed, furry cat ears?

T.B.C.

* * *

Author's Note: Using horizontal lines as scene breaks is not pretty but it's all I can do since symbols can't be used anymore. 


	9. Chapter 7

**The Purrfect Houseguest**

**Part 7**

A pair of pointed, fluffy ears?

Mariemaia's eyes widened in a mixture of amazement and disbelieve. Almost mechanically she reached out, grabbed hold of one of those soft, furry ears and gave it a sharp tug.

"Ouch!" Crystal-blue eyes narrowed in irritation. "What was that for?"

"I'm sorry," she flushed bright red. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't think they were real."

"Of course they are real." He set her down on her feet and straightened up. He was tall, taller even than her dad. "The next time, you might want to ask before trying to rip off somebody's ears," he suggested, still sounding a little disgruntled.

"I'm sorry," Marie repeated in a small voice. "And thank you for catching me."

His expression softened somewhat, and he made a dismissive gesture. "It was nothing really. But what were you trying to do; get yourself killed?"

Marie ducked her head and smiled sheepishly. "Of course not. I was just trying to rescue Captain Cruiser."

"Captain Cruiser?" the furry eared stranger echoed.

"Captain Cruiser, hero of the galactic empire!" she pointed at the small action figure that had been ejected when the toy rocket hit the ground, and landed not far from where she was standing.

He just looked at her puzzled.

Mariemaia sighed. He really didn't seem to know what she was talking about. "Well, I guess you are a little too old to watch cartoons, but even my dad knows Captain Cruiser, and he is even older than you…I think."

For a moment her rescuer looked at her, a tiny smile tugging on the corners of his mouth, but then he turned serious again. "It seemed as though you didn't get hurt at all when you fell. Then I'll leave now."

"Please wait," Marie called out as he turned to walk away.

He turned his head and looked at her questioningly.

"I'm Mariemaia, Mariemaia Khushrenada, but you can call me Marie. What's your name?"

* * *

Zechs hesitated. His first reaction was to just walk away and ignore her question. But then he thought that it really didn't make any difference if she knew his name or not. Because he would just leave, and they would probably never meet again.

"Zechs," he replied. "My name is Zechs."

"Will you come back again, Zechs? I'll be here until Monday. We can play together."

He hesitated once more, then just shook his head.

"Why not?"

_Why not?_ Zechs blinked. It was such a simple and innocent question. But how was he supposed to explain to her that they shouldn't have met in the first place.

Suddenly the neko was overcome by a wave of nausea and dizziness. He reached for one of the trees for support and closed his eyes, waiting for the vertex to dissipate.

"Are you alright?" the girl asked concerned.

"I'm fine," he lied. Truth was that he had been feeling anything but fine since the morning. Between chills and hot flashes, he was battling dizzy spells and fatigue. His twisted ankle was still hurting. In short, he felt rather lousy.

"Are you sure? You look like you are sick. Maybe I should go and get my dad. He always knows what to do and how to make me feel better when I'm sick."

"NO!"

Marie seemed startled by the sudden harshness in his voice, and Zechs regretted his reaction instantly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so harsh. It's just that… I… I think it is better if nobody know that I'm here." He pushed away from the tree and turned on his heel. "I really should be going now."

"I know!" Mariemaia suddenly exclaimed, cheerfully. "Maybe you just need to rest a little." Before he knew it she had seized his hand and gestured him to follow. "I know a place where we can hide. Papa doesn't have to know. We can just stay there until you feel better."

For a moment Zechs was too surprised to even object, and he allowed himself to be pulled along. But as he followed her toward the house, a little warning voice deep inside him became louder and louder.  
It reminded him that what he was doing was dangerous, that he should walk away now, before it was too late. There was no telling what would happen to him when he was discovered.  
But there was something about this little girl that fascinated him, even though he could not explain it. She made him feel very much at ease, more than he had ever felt around any of his handlers. She seemed so blissfully innocent and honest, that he just knew that he could trust her. And her cheerfulness… her cheerfulness was highly contagious. He couldn't help it but smile around her.  
Besides, getting some rest sounded tempting. Maybe he was just exhausted, and it really would make him feel better.

She led him back to the very storage shed where he had spent the night. Together the two of them cleared away some boxes and bins in the back of the shed, and made enough room for them to sit down comfortably.

"I'll go and get us some blankets, that will make it cozier," Marie said once they were done. "Have you eaten lunch yet?"

"No, but I'm fine," Zechs replied evasively.

"Then I'll bring us some sandwiches too. I haven't had lunch either. This is going to be fun," she laughed. "Please, don't go anywhere. I'll be right back."

Already at the door, Marie turned around once more and winked at him. "Don't worry, I won't tell anybody about you. I promise."

* * *

"Papa?"

Treize gazed up from his laptop and gave his daughter a questioning look. "Yes, honey?"

"Can I take a couple blankets outside?"

"What for?"

"I…umm…I'm building a fort."

"A fort, huh? Can I see it when it is done?"

"Hmm…, it's really supposed to be a secret fort."

"Ah, I see. Well, in that case…there are some blankets in the kitchen, in the cabinet above the washing machine. Take the ones that we use when we go to the lake, or have a picnic."

"I know which ones you mean," Marie nodded. "I'm also getting hungry. I'm going to make myself a sandwich."

"Do you need me to help with that?" Treize asked.

"No, that's alright. I can do it myself. I'm not a baby anymore. You are busy, anyway, aren't you? So, you just stay here and work on your book."

Her father raised one eyebrow in a mixture of surprise and amusement. "Are you the same Mariemaia I brought with me from home?"

Marie gave him a brilliant smile. "I guess I'm just growing up. Even Mr. Garner said though."

"Well then, who am I to try stopping you from _growing up_?" Treize laughed, as he watched her strut back into the house.  
_Growing up, yeah right! Knowing that she is her father's daughter, I'd bet my right arm that she is only trying to gain brownie points with me. I wonder what she is up to and what she wants._

He smiled softly, as he turned his attention back to his novel, where his hero was currently busy trying to get out of a rather sticky situation.

* * *

"I'm back!" Carrying some blankets and a tray with sandwiches, drinks and sugar cookies, Mariemaia walked back into the storage shed. She didn't receive an answer, and when she looked up she realized that her new friend had fallen asleep. For a moment she considered whether she should wake him up or not. Her dad always said sleep is good, and make her take long naps when she was sick.

Carefully she put the tray down on the ground, and picked up one of the blankets to cover the sleeping neko. She was just about to pull it over his shoulders when he suddenly moved. His right hand shot out, seizing her wrist.

Marie gave a startled gasp and tried to pull away.

Fully awake now, Zechs realized what he had done and released her immediately. "I'm sorry," he whispered, crystal blue eyes wide in shock. "I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

The girl nodded, as she rubbed her wrist. His claws had left faint marks on her skin, but she was really more startled than hurt. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was," he replied, voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry; I really didn't mean to scare you like this."

"It's alright," Mariemaia smiled at him reassuringly. "I'm fine really. Are you ready to eat lunch, or do you want to sleep a little more?"

"Lunch sounds like a great idea." He pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders and sat up, while Marie spread the second blanket out on the floor for the to sit on.

"Have some?" She gestured at the plate with the sandwiches.

"What is it?"

"Peanut butter and jelly. I hope you like those."

"I don't remember ever eating something called 'peanut butter and jelly' before," Zechs admitted.

"Seriously?" Marie wasn't sure if he was just trying to pull her legs. She couldn't imagine that somebody didn't know PB&J. "I have been eating it all my life."

Zechs picked up one of the sandwich halves, eying it curiously from all sides, then sniffing it before finally taking a cautious bite.

Mariemaia looked at him expectantly. "So, how is it? What do you think?"

"Sweet and…different, but not bad, not bad at all."

The little girl beamed. "I'm glad that you like it. Papa says it's good for you too, because it has a lot of protein…whatever that is." She shrugged. "I wasn't sure what you'd like to drink, so I brought milk."

"Milk sounds great," he assured her.

"Good," Marie nodded seriously. "And if you eat your whole sandwich, you may also have some cookies. Mr. Garner made them, they are really good."

"Well, then I'll better make sure to finish my sandwich," Zechs chuckled softly.

There was a long moment of silence, while they both ate quietly.

At one point, when Mariemaia looked up she noticed that her new friend was watching her, apparently lost in thought, and a ghost of a smile curving his lips.

"Zechs?"

His smile widened a little. "I was just thinking how much you remind me of somebody I've met a long time ago."

Marie returned his smile. "You are a neko, aren't you?" she said all of a sudden. It was really more of a statement than a question. "Uncle Wufei came to our school and told us about nekos, how they lived and why they died. You look just like the nekos on the pictures he showed us…well, almost." She cocked her head slightly and studied him for a moment. "What happened to your tail?"

Zechs blinked sheepishly. "My tail?"

"Nekos are supposed to have tails, aren't they?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I've never had one."

"Hmmm…" Marie's forehead crinkled as she thought hard for a few moments. "I suppose Uncle Wufei was wrong then." she finally announced. "He can't be right all the time, can he?"

"How come does this Uncle Wufei know so much about nekos?" Zechs wanted to know.

"Because he is a scientist. He works at a place where they bring dead animals back to life."

Zech's jaw clenched briefly at that statement.

* * *

Treize turned of his computer and stretched leisurely. He had finished the chapter he had been working on, and his hero was safe and sound…for the moment. Time to take a break and make himself something for lunch.  
The tawny-haired closed the laptop and rose.

He huffed as he walked into the kitchen. Apparently cleaning up after oneself was not considered part of the "growing up" process. Mariemaia had left a mess on the table; dirty dishes, jars of peanut butter and jelly…and an opened carton of milk!

_Now there is something I thought I would never see. Marie drinking milk without being told to! She must want something **really** badly._

He cleaned up the mess and made himself a sandwich. When he sat down at the table his gaze fell upon the clock on the wall, and only then he realized that he had been working on his novel for much longer than he had intended.

I wonder what Marie is doing? It's not like her to play quietly by herself for such a long time. Secret fort or not, I'll better check on her.

* * *

They had finished their sandwiches, and were munching Mr. Garner's cookies, when the blond neko suddenly, and very quietly, asked. "You are not afraid of me, Mariemaia, are you?"

Marie shook her head. "You startled me a little when you grabbed my arm, but I know you didn't mean to hurt me, so no, I'm not afraid of you. Why?"

"It's just…" He stared into his glass of milk, remembering something that happened a long time ago, when he was only five or six years old.

:Begin Flashback:

The little neko laughed as he ran through the park that surrounded the laboratory buildings. He had sneaked out of his room before, but never had he managed to slip past the security guard at the front door.  
Before he knew it he had crossed the park, and found himself at the daycare center, located at the southern edge of the facility.

Eyes wide in amazement he stared at the large playground. Some children were playing in the sand, climbing on monkey bars, and sliding down a large, colorful slide. Another group of kids were chasing each other through the grass, laughing and giggling.

Zechs watched for a while before he approached them. "Can I play too," he asked quietly.

Instantly the laughter and giggling died. The children stopped their game and stared at him with wide eyes. A girl with long blond pigtails started to scream, and then everybody turned around and ran back to the playground.

Confused the young neko watched as two women gathered all the children and ushered them quickly into the white day care building. He was still standing there, with tears in his eyes when the security guards found him.

_What did I do wrong? I only wanted to play with them?_

:End of Flashback:

"It's just that a lot of people who I meet seem to be afraid of me."

"Why?" Marie frowned.

Zechs shrugged. "I guess, it's because I don't look exactly human."

"So?" she didn't seem faced. "You look different. Papa always says there is nothing wrong with being different. And he should know."

"How come?"

"Because he is really smart. He writes books, you know. He has written a lot of them already. Grandpa says it is the only thing he is good at, but that's not true. He is also the best cook I know. And…"

Zechs suddenly felt dizzy again. He also felt hot, and he was almost sure that he had a fever. He squeezed his eyes shut waiting for the dizziness to pass.

"Are you aright? Am I talking too much?" Marie asked concerned.

"No, no." he assured her with a little smile. "I don't mind listening. You really love your father, don't you?"

"A lot." She nodded. "What about you? Tell me about your mom and dad."

The neko's expression turned gloomy. "I'm afraid I don't have parents; at least not as far as I know."

"That's really sad," Marie looked at him sympathetically. "I remember how sad I was when my mom died. But at least I still have my dad, and grandpa and grandma, and now I have also Uncle Wufei. But I think …"

"Mariemaia!"

Marie's head jerked around, startled at the sound of her father's voice.

* * *

T.B.C.

Author's Note: Alright! Done with another chapter. Hope you like it. :-)


	10. Chapter 8

**The Purrfect Houseguest**

**Part 8**

"Mariemaia!" Treize stared first at his daughter then at the fair-haired stranger in a mixture of shock and disbelieve.  
_Impossible, this can't be_. He swallowed hard, mouth suddenly gone dry.

"Papa!" Startled, Marie jumped up from the blanket she had been sitting on.

"What's going on here?" her father asked. It sounded rather lame, even to his own ears.

"Please Papa, don't get mad," Marie looked at him pleadingly. "I'll explain everything."

As Treize stepped closer the Neko tensed. Crystal-blue eyes narrowed. The tawny haired man stopped. "Marie, come here," he ordered firmly. "Now!"

"Papa, no. He is not mean, he is just scared." The little red-head replied. Then she turned toward the neko. "It's alright, Zechs. He won't hurt you, I promise. My dad would never hurt anybody."

Treize hesitated. Indeed, he had no intention of hurting the creature. His only concern was his daughter and keeping her safe. But the neko looked frightened, and as an experienced hunter, Treize knew only too well how dangerous an animal could become when it was cornered. And even humans are just animals, after all. He was sure that those claws were not just for decorations.

"Mariemaia come to me," he repeated, softer and quieter this time. "I'm not angry," he assured her. "I just want to come with me and talk to me, alright."

When the girl hesitated Treize took another, cautious step toward her.

* * *

Zechs had not taken his eyes off the tawny haired man since he had entered the shed. Somehow there was something familiar about him, but then again he was Marie's father, so it was only natural that there was a resemblance.

Driven by pure survival instinct, Zechs quickly assessed his situation. He knew that he was in no condition to fight, so his only other option was to run. There was one problem however, between him and the door stood Mariemaia's father. He didn't want to hurt the man; he never really wanted to hurt anybody. But he also did not want to be recaptured.

When the man moved closer to his daughter, Zechs reacted. Sensing his chance, he jumped up, ready to dash for the door. Although his mind was willing, his body was simply too weak. He was barely able to take two unsteady steps, and then everything around him went black, as his mind dropped into a deep abyss of nothingness.

* * *

Almost instinctively Treize reached out, catching the neko before he hit the ground. Beside him, Mariemaia gasped in shock. "What happened?" she asked in a shaky voice. "Is he dead?"

"No," Treize shook his head. "It seems as though he just passed out." He laid his hand against the neko's forehead, and frowned. It felt hot to the touch. "He has a bad fever."

"I'm sorry," Marie sniffled. "I knew he was sick, but he didn't want me to tell anybody. I just wanted to help him, he was so scared."

"It's alright," he told her softly. "I'm sure he will be fine. But were did he come from anyway?"

"I don't know," the girl shrugged. "He was just there and caught me when I fell from the tree. He…"

While Mariemaia told her father the story of how she and the neko had met, he pulled the fair-haired creature into his arms and rose. "Let's take him inside, shall we?" he suggested.

Treize carried his unconscious charge into the cabin, and upstairs into a spare bedroom, while Marie ran ahead to open the doors for them. He carefully placed Zechs onto the bed, removed his shoes and covered him with a warm comforter. Before straightening up he reached out to push a few strands of long, silvery hair out of the neko's face, lost in thought. _How can this be? It's impossible; simply impossible._

"Can we keep him, Papa?" Mariemaia asked quietly.

Treize turned to her with a gently smile. "Honey, he is not a pet."

"I know. But what if he has no other place to go? I think he doesn't have a family."

"Why don't we worry about that later?" her father suggested. "Right now it is more important to get him well. Do me a favor and get me my phone, Marie. It's right next to my computer on the patio. I'll call Wufei; he should know better what to do."

"I'll be right back," Marie nodded.

* * *

Wufei had just finished loading his motorcycle when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open casually. "Chang here!"

"Hello Wufei, it's me, Treize. Where are you right now?"

The young man frowned. Was it his imagination, or did his lover sound a little tense. "I'm just about to leave home and hit the road before rush-hour starts, why? Is something wrong?"

Treize quickly assured him that everything was alright. "I just need to ask you something."

"Alright."

"Dr. Po is an expert when it comes to nekos, isn't she?"

Wufei's frown deepened. "Yes, in a way I guess."

"Do you think she is knowledgeable enough to treat a sick neko?"

"Come again?" the young man asked puzzled. He knew that Treize had a strange kind of humor at times, but this question sounded weird even for him.

There was a long moment of silence, then he could hear his lover take a long, deep breath.

"I'm right now sitting next to a neko who seems very ill, and I'm not sure what to so with him."

Wufei's frown turned into a scowl. "Treize, have you and Mr. Garner dipped into his blueberry wine supply again?" he asked seriously.

"Dear, I realize that this sounds crazy, but I assure you, I'm neither drunk, nor am I kidding. I might not be as expert about this as you are, but I know a neko if I see one. Trust me on this. He is a neko …ears and all. Mariemaia found him. I'll tell you the whole story when you get here."

There was another moment of silence as Wufei considered if he should believe this crazy story or not. Finally he asked. "So, what do you want me to do?"

"How well do you know Dr Po?" Treize replied. "Do you think she could be trusted to keep this a secret?"

* * *

Treize, seated on the edge of the bed, murmured soothing words of comfort as he dabbed the Neko's' fever-heated face with a cold, wet cloth.  
Mariemaia was downstairs in the living room, watching a movie. Wufei and Dr Po should be on their way now, but even if traffic was light it would take them at least another hour before they would get to Deer Creek.

The tawny haired man soaked the cloth in a bowl with cold water that was sitting on the nightstand, and placed it onto the neko's forehead.

_Zechs! It really is you, isn't it? When they told me that you had died, I should have known better than to believe them._ Treize sighed. _I'm sorry, Zechs! Do you even remember me? It's been so long._

_When I grew up I detested Gentec and Romefeller for what they were doing, and I despised my own family for being part of that organization. I promised myself that I didn't want any part of that; that I would do something about it some day. But I turned out that I was just a big coward after all. I never did anything. Instead I took the first chance I got, walked away and never looked back. _

_I don't know how you got here; how, off all places in the world, you ended up at my 'doorsteps'. Perhaps this is faith. This time, I promise I'll protect you. I won't let anybody ever hurt you again. I just need you to hang in there and get well again. I know you can do it, I know you are though. Otherwise you would not have survived for this long…_

_

* * *

_

T.B.C.

Author's Note: I realize this chapter is rather short (even for my standards). But next will be a long flashback scene, which I want to write as a separate chapter.


	11. Chapter 9

**The Purrfect Houseguest**

**Part 9**

:Begin Flashback:

It was about a quarter after five, when the Khushrenada's black limousine pulled up in front of a large mansion. Several other guests had already arrived and were slowly making their way into the house.

Treize opened the door for his mother and politely offered her his arm for support, as she climbed out of the car. Rebecca Khushrenada was dressed in a long, cream colored evening gown, complimented by a wide diamond choker and a pair of patching earrings, while both her husband and her son wore their blue dress uniforms.

Treize was watching as yet another limousine arrived, wondering how big this party was going to be, when a tap on the shoulder got his attention.

"What's with the dark face, Treize?" His father asked. "This isn't a funeral. You could at least pretend that you are happy to be here."

"But I'm not. Why did I have to come anyway?"

"Because your uncle invited the whole family and the last time I checked you were still part of it. Besides, you haven't attended any family gatherings for quite a while, you will have fun talking and playing with your cousins."

"Your father is right, dear," his mother added. "You can't spend every weekend with your nose buried in your books."

"It's called studying, Mother. They actually make us do that in school," Treize replied cheekily.

The duchess shook her finger at him warningly, mirth sparkling in her eyes. "Don't you get smart with me, young man. Or I swear I'll give you a big hug in front of the whole family."

"You wouldn't!" Treize gasped in horror. He could not think of anything more embarrassing for a thirteen year old boy than being hugged by his own mother in front of his relatives.

"Just try me." She winked at him before taking her husband's arm, allowing him to lead her into the house.

* * *

Duke Dermail, the host of this large and extravagant party, was not only Treize's great uncle; he was also the longtime leader of Romefeller, an organization of almost secret society status. Although most of Romefeller's members were incredible rich, not wealth but 'blue blood' was the main requirement to join the organization. Anybody who did not come from a long line of nobility was not even considered for membership. One could say that Romefeller still lived in their own little, aristocratic world, just like they did a hundred years ago. Because of their power and their wealth they often considered themselves above the law, and in many cases they really were.

The duke welcomed his guests at the entrance, and after a short and informal greeting led them into the drawing room for pre-dinner conversations and cocktails.

Treize, who remained dutifully at his parent's side, stared sullenly into his glass of cider and tried hard to stifle a bored yawn. Just when he thought things could not get any worse, he noticed Baron Korsakov, his least favorite uncle and his son Nikolai, a smug and ill-mannered youth, come across the room, straight toward them. Nikolai was little over a year older than he, and as long as Treize could remember, his cousin had always acted as though he was god's gift to the world. It must have been quite a blow to his ego, and his parent's egos as well, when he failed the entry exam for the St. Petersburg Military Academy, not once, but three times. Treize would be lying if he said that it didn't please him to no end. There was little love lost between him and his cousin. In fact, the two of them had developed a strong and mutual dislike of one another.

Treize groaned inwardly, and wondered if he could still get away when he excused himself now. But it was already too late.

The Baron, who was only slightly more tolerable than his son, flashed him a smile that was as false as his pearly white teeth. "Look Nikolai, it's your cousin Treize. Doesn't he look charming in his uniform? There is nothing more heartwarming than a son trying to copy his father, isn't there?"

Somehow Treize managed to return the smile. "Well, thank you for the compliment, but I assure you I'm not copying anybody, Sir. I have been attending SPMA since last fall."

"Is that so? I didn't know you turned fourteen already," his uncle replied.

"He hasn't," Konstantin Khushrenada confirmed, not without a certain amount of pride. "Treize took the exam early, and is one of the youngest cadets who ever attended the academy."

"Oh really?" Now, Baron Korsakov seemed to have trouble to hold on to his smile. "Well congratulations then."

"Thank you, Sir!" Treize gave his uncle a polite nod and exchanged an icy glare with his cousin.

"So, Nikolai, I've heard you are attending Hargrave Military Academy now?" his father added. "I'm sure that's a very fine school too."

"Yes, it is," the baron replied, somewhat stiffly. "And we are quite happy with our choice, aren't we Nikolai? – And now if you would excuse us, there are a few more people we would like to talk to. I'm sure we will meet up again later."

Shortly after Korsakov and his son had left Treize's father excused himself and went off to talk to some of his acquaintances.

"Treize, why don't you go too and mingle a little," Rebecca suggested.

"Do I have to?"

"No, you don't **_have_** to. I just thought you might enjoy it."

"Not really."

"Well then, would you like to accompany me onto the patio to get some fresh air?" she asked. "It's awfully hot and muggy in here."

"It would be my pleasure, ma'am," he replied with a smirk and a deep bow.

* * *

Treize and his mother stayed on the patio until one of the servants informed them that dinner was about to be served.

When entering the dining room Treize realized much to his dismay that his family was seated at the same table as the Korsakovs.

"So," his aunt asked, as they settled down at the table. "What do you suppose the "after-dinner surprise" will be, that the duke mentioned on the invitation?"

"I'm not sure, but it has to be something important considering how secretive he is about it. He wouldn't even tell me when I asked, and **I'm** supposedly his favorite nephew," Konstantin laughed.

As soon as the guests had taken their seats the servants began to serve the dinner, starting with a seafood salad, and a creamy asparagus soup.

Treize kept his eyes down on his plate, only looking up a couple of times to exchange cold glares with his cousin.

About halfway through dinner, his uncle looked up from his medallions of veal and asked, "So! Young Treize, will you be joining us for the hunt tomorrow?"

"Hunt," Treize tried hard to fight off an involuntary expression of disgust. "Please forgive my directness, but taking some poor animals that grew up in cages and never learned to fear humans, sticking them into a fifty acre enclosure and slaughtering them, is not what I would consider hunting, Sir. So no, I'm afraid I'll pass."

"Treize," his father snapped. "Apologize at once."

"You want me to apologize for speaking the truth, Father?"

"Perhaps Cousin Treize is just worried that his marksmanship won't measure up to the rest of the hunt." Nikolai remarked. An ugly smile had spread across his features.

Treize gave his cousin an icy look, fighting the urge to grab him by his overstuffed collar and wipe that smile off his face. "At least my marksmanship was good enough to allow me to pass the entry test for the St. Petersburg Military Academy," he replied bitingly.

Nikolai turned bright red.

"Treize, that's quite enough," Konstantin Khushrenada glared at his son. "You are excused from the table."

_I never wanted to be here at the first place._ Treize put his napkin down and rose. "Excuse me." He gave his mother and his aunt a polite nod and walked away.

_I suppose I would have been better of spending the weekend at the academy_, he thought angrily, as he left the dining room. He wanted to go somewhere where he could be alone and sulk at his hearts desire, so he decided to take a nice, long ride. It was summer after all, and the sun wouldn't set for another hour or so.

His great-uncle, an avid horse lover, owned more than two dozen of the finest mounts. Behind the mansion, not far off the main road were two stables, well actually three, but only two off them housed horses. The third building, standing somewhat apart from the others, had been restructured years earlier. Although nobody, not even the servants, were allowed near it, Treize remembered sneaking onto it once when he was little. On the inside it didn't look much like a stable anymore. The stalls had been replaced with large solid cages making it look more like an animal house in a zoo.

As Treize walked into the stable he found Franz, his uncle's head trainer, and a young stable boy, probably not much older than he, feeding the horses. Franz, who had knows Treize since he was knee-high to a grasshopper, gave him a friendly nod. "Master Treize, what a surprised. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Can you have a horse readied for me; I would like to take a ride."

"Of course, Sir," he turned toward the stable boy and ordered him to saddle a mount by the name of Majeed. "Taking a ride at this time," he then asked Treize. "I thought everybody was sitting down for dinner right now?"

"They are," Treize confirmed with a hint of sarcasm. "However, my presence, or more precisely my opinion was not welcome at the table."

* * *

Treize had left the stables behind him and was just about to turn into one of the smaller roads leading into the woods, when he noticed a Gentec truck coming up the main road. Assuming that the truck was delivering the prey for tomorrows hunt, the youth scowled.  
_Poor creature; bred and raised only to be killed, just so that some of those so called "gentlemen" within Romefeller could boast about hunting and shooting a wolf, tiger or grizzly, even though most of those animals didn't even exist anymore in the wild_. Treize gave a disgusted huff and spurred on his mount.

A good half an hour later, after he had worn out the horse and himself, he headed back home. By the time they reached the stable the sun was just about to set. He dismounted and handed his mount off to the stable boy.

"Did you have a pleasant ride, Sir?"

"I did, thank you for asking," He gave the boy a friendly nod before he turned away. When he passed the building that used to be the third stable, Treize noticed with surprise that its main door stood open. Instantly his curiosity was roused. He was well aware that nobody was supposed to enter that building without his uncle's permission. But then again, an open door was pretty much the same as an open invitation, he decided.

When he cautiously entered the old stable Treize noticed that one of the cages had been unlocked. His expression darkened instantly when he recognized his cousin Nikolai standing near the door, just inside that cage. "What are you doing?" Treize barked at him. "We are not even supposed to be in here."

Nikolai turned his head and snorted sarcastically. "Keep your pants on, Treize. Come here and take a look if you dare. I think I found our little 'after dinner surprise'."

Treize swallowed a biting remark. When he stepped closer his yaw almost dropped. He had expected to see some kind of rare animal, an ocelot or wild cat perhaps, but he wasn't prepared to find a neko. He had heard of them before, seen pictures, but never in a million years would he have thought he would ever seen a real living and breathing neko. It was still a child… or was it called a cub; Treize wasn't sure, probably six or seven years old, with curly silvery-white hair and crystal blue eyes.

The little neko boy stood with it back pressed against one of the walls, eyes wide with panic. It looked like he had backed away from Nikolai, until the wall stopped him.

Treize's eyes narrowed. "Leave him be. Don't you see that you are frightening him?"

His cousin gave another snort. "Relax; will you. I just want to take a better look at him."  
As he stepped closer, the neko ducked his head, laid his ears back and hissed at him. Nikolai just laughed. "You are a feisty little creature aren't you? Seems like they haven't taught you any manners yet."

"Leave him be," Treize repeated, a little more forceful this time.

"Or what?" the older youth mocked. "You're going to ran to your daddy and tell on me?" He reached out, and suddenly the neko lurched forward. Nikolai yelped as he jerked back his hand. "That vicious little beast just bit me." Before Treize could do anything his cousin slapped the neko across the face, hard enough to send him flying into the corner where he hit the wall with a sickening thump.

"You bastard." With two large steps Treize was next to his cousin, and slammed his fist into the older youth's face, knocking him off his feet.

Nikolai cried out, pressing his hand over his bleeding nose, as he stared up at Treize in disbelieve and not without a certain amount of fear.

"Get up and get out of here now," the tawny-haired boy hissed. "Or I swear I'll break more than just your nose."

Quickly Nikolai scrambled t his feet and retreated. Once he reached the door however he felt safe enough to turn around and glare at his cousin. "I swear; you are going to regret this, Treize."

Treize only shrugged. He couldn't care less at the moment. He slowly walked over to where the little neko lay crumbled on the floor. When he crouched down next to the figure he could hear a quiet and very low growl.

Treize smiled a little, somewhat relieved that the neko was awake. "You really are feisty, aren't you? But don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you," he spoke quietly. "I just want to see if you are alright."

The little neko carefully raised his head, looking at him with pure amazement in his eyes. Treize's smile widened a little, but then he noticed a little trickle of blood dribble down near the boy's left temple. "You are bleeding." He pulled a pristine white handkerchief from the pocket. When he reached out to dab away the blood, the neko recoiled. "It's alright," Treize assured him. "I'm just want to wipe away the blood so that I can see how badly you are hurt. May I?"

The neko gave a silent and somewhat timid nod.

"I'm Treize Khushrenada, by the way," the youth said, as he carefully cleaned away the blood. "Do you have a name too?"

"Zechs!"

"Zechs?" he echoed. "That's your name?"

The neko nodded again.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The voice startled Treize. When he turned around he saw a tall, dark-haired man standing in the door to Zechs' cage. The man looked at him sternly.

"I'm Treize Khushrenada," Treize introduced himself as he rose. "Duke Dermail is my great-uncle. And who are you, Sir?"

"You shouldn't be here," the man replied, ignoring his question.

"I know," Treize confirmed. "I was just…Zechs got hurt, I just wanted to make sure that he was alright."

"Hurt?" the man asked as he walked over to the neko. "What did you do this time, Zechs? Can't I leave you alone for even five minutes without you getting yourself in trouble?" He sighed as he squatted down, raised Zechs' chin and examined the small cut. "It doesn't look too bad, but I'll have to clean it." He ruffled the neko's hair playfully as he rose to his feet. "I'll have to get a medical kit from the car. I'll right back. You'd better leave now," he told Treize.

The tawny-haired youth nodded, but just as he was about to walk away he felt something tugging on his pants. Surprised he glanced down and found Zechs looking back at him, pleadingly. _I think he wants me to stay_, he thought amazed. _He doesn't want to be alone Not that I blame him_.  
"Can I stay with him," he asked, "Until you get back?"

The man hesitated for a moment, but then he nodded. "Fine, but I'll have to lock the door."

"That's alright," Treize agreed. He settled down on the ground next to the little neko. "Who was that?" he asked, gesturing in the direction the man had left.

"Marcus?" Zechs asked. "He takes care of me."

"I see. Do you like him?"

"He is nice."

"How old are you, Zechs, do you know?"

The neko held up seven fingers. "Seven." Suddenly he reached for Treize's left hand. It looked like the older boy's wristwatch had caught his attention.

"You like my watch?" Treize laughed. It was an expensive gold watch, which his mother had given him for his 13th birthday. He opened the clasp that held the wristband together and slipped the watch off. He was planning to hand it to Zechs, so that the neko could have a better look, but Marcus voice stopped him.

"I wouldn't do that if that watch means anything to you?"

Treize looked at the man, who had just returned with a small first aid kit, questioningly.

"Zechs likes to take things apart to see what makes them tick," Marcus explained with a mirthful smile. "Unfortunately putting them back together is a lot harder than taking them apart, right Zechs?"

The neko gave them an almost sheepish grin.

The man knelt down next to Zechs and opened the medical kit. Treize was just about to ask if there was anything he could do to help, when he heard his father call for him. There was something in the duke's voice that told him that this time he was in real big trouble.

:end Flashback:

_I suppose, in some strange and twisted way, I should be thanking my cousin for what happened that evening,_ Treize thought with a hint of bitterness. _Because it was the last push I needed to convince me that I did not want to become like the rest of my family; that I did not want to grow up and raise a family in the same way I had been raised._

As the tawny haired man replaced the damp, cool cloth on Zechs' fever heated forehead he intentionally brushed his knuckled over the neko's ears. He smiled softly when the silver haired creature purred at the slight touch.

Later Treize had learned that Nikolai had been right about one thing, though. Zechs was indeed the so called "after dinner surprise" everybody had been talking about. Duke Dermail had invited a scientist from Gentec, the leader of a secret project that had been founded by Romefeller for more than a decade. Young Zechs was the result of that project; the only successfully cloned neko that had not died within a few month of its birth. He was supposed to be showed off later that evening, to quiet those skeptics who had started to question the wisdom of spending so much money on a seemingly ineffective project.

After the incident Treize couldn't stop himself from thinking about the neko with the sad blue eyes. He was heartbroken when he later learned from his great-uncle that Zechs had died. But as time went on he thought less and less about their chance encounter until it almost slipped his mind completely. Two years later, after his father died in an accident, Treize left the military academy, and with his mother's blessings, transferred to a boarding school in Switzerland. When he turned eighteen he dropped the title, which he had inherited after his father's dead. As far as he was concerned, Duke Treize Khushrenada did not exist anymore.  
It was also in Switzerland where he met Leia for the first time. He had been on a ski vacation with friends, showing off on the slopes to impress some ladies, when he broke his leg and ended up in a hospital where she worked as a nurse. They fell in love, married less than a year later, when Leia found out that she was pregnant, and the rest…well, the rest is history as they say.

The roar of a motorcycle engine ripped Treize from his memories. _Wufei is here, finally!_ He rose from edge of the bed and walked out of the room to go downstairs and greet his lover.

* * *

T.B.C.

Author's Note: Okay, that's it. I hope you enjoy the little flashback into Treize's youth and his meeting with Zechs.

Somebody who reviewed this story mentioned that the characters are somewhat OOC. I totally agree. Part of a person's personality is formed by environment and upbringing. If you take a look at this 13 year old Treize I think you will find that he is more IC with the Treize we know from GW, and if he had stayed with his family and followed in his father's footsteps he probably would have turned out very much like the GW Treize. However since he didn't, I don't think it's very surprising that his personality as an adult turned out somewhat different.


	12. Chapter 10

**The Purrfect Houseguest**

**Part 10**

"Hi Uncle Wufei," Mariemaia greeted the young man excitedly as he walked into the living room, a grey duffle bag in hand. "Did Papa tell you what I found?"

"He did, Marie, he sure did." Wufei replied. _I'm just not sure yet if I can really believe it_. "Where are they?"

"Up here," Treize called out from the second floor, just as his daughter gestured at the stairs. "I moved him into the guest room. – Did you come by yourself?"

"I…umm…," Wufei mumbled awkwardly, as he put down his bag and headed upstairs. "I told Dr. Po I would call her as soon as I get here, and let her know if she needed to bring anything."

Treize looked at his lover, a knowing smile curving his lips and an amused sparkle in his eyes. "In other words, you didn't believe me, and wanted to make sure that I hadn't just lost my mind, before having the doctor drive all this way."

"Well, I…," the young man blushed.

Normally Treize would have taken perverse pleasure in Wufei's embarrassment, and would have continued teasing him a little longer, but right now he was too concerned about Zechs.

"Uncle Wufei," Marie called after him as he was already half way up the stairs, making him stop and turn to her. "Don't pull his ears to see if they are real. I tried that and he did not like it."

Wufei couldn't help but smirk. "I'll try to remember that."

He followed Treize to the guestroom, stopping dead in his tracks the moment he set foot through the door. His jaw dropped, and for a long moment he just stood there with a dumbfounded expression on his face, staring at the figure sleeping peacefully in the bed.

Treize chuckled. "You believe me now?"

The younger man glanced at his lover then back at the neko. "How… I mean how is it possible, and where did he come from?"

"I'm not sure," Treize replied evasively, as he walked over to the bed. "As far as Marie told me he just appeared, catching her when she fell off a tree."

"So, what's wrong with him?" Wufei wanted to know.

"I'm not sure about that either." Treize removed the damp cloth from the neko's fever heated forehead, soaked it in cold water and replaced it. "He just collapsed. He has a fever and his right ankle looks swollen. Other than that I don't know, and that worries me."

His lover nodded understandingly as he stepped closer to get a better look at the strange creature. He'd never imagined that he would ever see a living neko. It was very strange but also very exciting. The scientist in him wanted to know anything and everything about it. But he would have to wait before he could satisfy his curiosity. For now it was most important that the neko received the care it needed.

"I'll go and call Doctor Po."

* * *

Zechs was waking slowly. As his senses returned he realized that he was lying in a soft bed. He could feel something refreshingly cool against his heated skin. Somebody was dabbing away the sweat from his forehead.  
Without opening his eyes the neko listened. There were voices; he could make out two people talking, but it took a moment until he understood what they were saying.

"…I don't know, and that worries me."

"I'll call Doctor Po."

The sound of footsteps was somebody walked away, then they stopped. "Uh…and Treize, I'm sorry that I didn't believe you when you told me…"

"Don't worry about it, Wufei. I would probably have reacted the same way as you, if the roles would have been reversed."

_Treize?_ He thought surprised. _Can it really be?_

There were more footsteps and then the sound of a door being opened then closed again. Zechs carefully opened first one eye then both. Mariemaia's father was standing beside his bed, facing the nightstand, soaking a washcloth in a bowl with water.

When he turned he noticed that the neko was watching him. A soft smile curved his lips. "You are awake."

"Treize!" Zechs asked, his voice quiet and unsure.

"You remember? I wasn't sure you would. You were still so small then." Treize's smile widened. "But you have grown quite a bit since."

The neko gazed at the tawny-blond man warily, as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Where am I? How did I get here?

"This is my house. I took you inside after you collapsed into my arms, don't you remember?"

Zechs frowned slightly as the memories came back to him. "So, what is going to happen to me now? Are you going to send me back?" he wanted to know.

"Back?" the other man asked, slightly puzzled.

"To Gentec; so that they can put me back into one of their labs?"

"Of course not." Treize's brows narrowed. He couldn't deny that the question stung. Did Zechs really think so little of him? But when he looked at it objectively he really couldn't blame the neko for not trusting him. He settled down on the edge of the bed with a sign. "You have nothing to fear, Zechs. I have broken ties with my family a long time ago. I have nothing to do with them anymore, or with Romefeller."

"What about him…Your daughter called him Uncle Wufei I believe. Does he work for them?"

"Wufei has nothing to do with Gentec or Romefeller either," Treize assured him. "In fact, he doesn't even know about my family's connection with that group."

"But he is a scientist working with nekos, is he not? I don't see any difference…"

"You are wrong, Zechs. There is a difference; a huge difference," the other man insisted. "Wufei's work is nothing at all like what Gentec is doing."

"Then I guess you won't mind if I'm leaving now?" Zechs pushed away the bedcovers, but before he could get up Treize put his hands on his shoulder's holding him down.

"Wait, Zechs. You are sick; you should not go anywhere right now. I do understand you being cautious and suspicious, but like I said, you have nothing to fear. You are safe here. Stay at least until you feel better. I would not let anything happen to you. Will you try to trust me…please?"

The blond neko hesitated. Treize sounded sincere, and he really wanted to believe the man. Finally, after a long moment of silence he nodded. "I'll try." _I think I can trust you; I'm not sure about **him** though._

"Thank you!" Treize smiled at him softly, reassuringly. "You should try to rest some more, you are still weak. I'll be back in a while with something to eat for you."

* * *

"Do you want some tea?" Wufei asked as Treize walked into the kitchen. "I was just about to make some."

"I'd love some, thanks."

"How is he doing?" The younger man put a kettle of water onto the stove and turned on the heat.

"He woke up. I told him to try to rest some more. His fever is still high." Treize replied.

"I'm still trying to figure out where he came from. I guess there is a very remote possibility that a small population of nekos still exists, hidden somewhere on this planet, but not so close to civilization. Besides he doesn't appear to have lived somewhere in the wild…"

"He didn't," his lover confirmed. "He was cloned and raised in one of Gentec's laboratories."

"What?" Wufei turned and looked at him, baffled. "How do you know?"

"He told me," Treize lied. He couldn't even look Wufei in the eye. Never had he imaged that his decision not to tell his lover about his family and their connection to Romefeller and Gentec, would one day come back to haunt him.

"Gentec!" Wufei spat. "How dare they clone a humanoid. How could they keep this a secret for such a long time? I can't believe nobody noticed."

"Somehow I have the feeling that the OII knew. And Zechs might have been what they were looking for when they raided the Gentec facility. But the real question is what they might have done with him if they had actually found him."

_Indeed_, Wufei had to agree. _That is a good question_.

"I don't think Zechs deserves to be taken from one research center to the next," Treize continued. "He didn't ask to be brought into this world like this."

"I agree. But what do you suggest should we do?"

Treize shrugged. "That I don't know. But for now I'm only concerned with him getting well."

Before Wufei could reply anything to that Mariemaia walked into the kitchen, and the two men stopped their conversation.

"What are you doing?" she wanted to know.

"Wufei is making tea, and I was just about to start cooking some chicken soup for Zechs."

"Can I help?"

"Sure, put on an apron and you can help me wash and cut the vegetables."

* * *

The door opened slowly, quietly, then a red shock of hair popped through the opening.

"Are you still asleep?" a quiet voice whispered.

Zechs smiled at the little girl. "No, I'm awake."

"I have brought you something to eat." Mariemaia carefully balanced a bowl of soup on a small tray.

"Do you need help?" the neko asked, as pushed himself up, until he was sitting with his back against the pillows.

Marie shook her head. "I'm fine." She walked slowly over to the bed, and set the tray down in front of the neko. "Be careful, it's hot." She warned.

The soup was steaming. Zechs soaked in the delicious aroma. "This smells good," he remarked. "What is it?"

"Chicken soup," Mariemaia explained as she pulled herself a chair next to the bed and sat down. "It will make you feel better. I cooked it just for you."

"You cooked it?"

The girl nodded. "Well, I did let Papa help…just a little."

"Well, I'd better try it while it is still nice and warm." Zechs took a few spoonfuls, and looked up at her. "Hmm... It tastes wonderful. You are an excellent cook."

"Thank you, I'm glad you like it," Marie blushed slightly. "Papa said you will be staying with us for a while. That's great. We can play together."

Zechs couldn't help but smile at her excitement. He wasn't sure if it was her cheerfulness, or the chicken soup, but he already felt better.

"And when we get back home I can show you my school, and you can meet all of my friends. And then I we can…"

There was a knock, and both Mariemaia and the neko looked up. Her father was standing just outside the half open door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you," he said with an apologetic gesture, "but your dinner is ready, Marie. I'll need you to come downstairs."

"Coming, Papa! – I'll be back in a little while," she told Zechs before she followed her father out of the room.

Just before reaching the stairs Treize stopped and turned to his daughter. "Sweetie, there is something we need to talk about."

She frowned in surprise. "What?"

"About what you said earlier. I'm afraid that you can't tell any of your friends, or anybody else for that matter, about Zechs."

Her frown deepened. "Why not, Papa?"

Treize crouched down to bring himself to eyelevel with his daughter. "See, before Zechs came here he used to belong to somebody."

"Belong to somebody? You mean somebody kept him as a pet?"

"Well, I guess that's one way you could put it. The people who owned him weren't very nice to him, and that's why he ran away. But I'm sure they want him back and they are looking for him." Treize explained.

"But if they are not nice to Zechs they shouldn't get him back. He should be somewhere where he likes it."

"That's right. That's why I invited him to stay with us."

"But if the bad people find out they might come and take him away from us?" Marie asked.

Her father nodded. "They might. And that's why we can't let anybody know about it, not even grandpa and grandma. You understand that, don't you?"

"I understand. I won't tell anybody, I promise."

Treize smiled at her and ruffled her hair as he rose to his feet. "That's daddy's little girl."

"Papa," she protested. "I've told you not to call me that. I'm not **little** anymore."

"Alright, alright," he chuckled, "Daddy's big girl then."

* * *

"Doctor Po I assume?" Treize greeted the young woman at the door. "I'm Treize Khushrenada. Please come in. Wufei will be here in a moment." He stepped aside to let her pass, and called for his lover. "Wufei come downstairs, Doctor Po is here."

"I'll right there."

Sally Po let her gaze wander as she stepped into the cabin. "It's a nice place you have here," she remarked.

"Well, thank you." Treize replied politely. "And I'm sorry you had to come out all this way."

"Are you kidding me?" The young doctor laughed. "I would drive half way around the world for the chance to see a real life neko."

Treize chuckled. "Well, that makes me feel better."

"So, tell me everything," she asked enthusiastically. "Wufei wasn't very forthcoming over the phone. He only told me enough to make me curious."

"Shall we go in and sit down the living room then?" Treize suggested, just as Wufei came down the stairs.

* * *

"No, absolutely not!" Zechs repeated stubbornly. He crossed his arms, turned his head and stared out of the window, indicating that the conversation was over as far as he was concerned."

The tawny haired man sighed. The neko was plain out refusing to allow Dr. Po to examine him, and Treize had been trying for more than ten minutes to change his mind. "You do realize that without an examination and medication it will take a lot longer for you to recover, don't you?" he tried to reason, but when he didn't get an answer from Zechs he shrugged in resignation. "Very well then. I'll be back later to check on you."

Wufei and Sally Po were waiting in the hall just outside the door to the guestroom. At their anticipating looks Treize shook his head. "He refuses to be examined. I'm sorry, Doctor. I'm afraid you might have come all this way for nothing."

"How can he be so stubborn?" Wufei grumbled. "Doesn't he realize that he needs medical attention? We are only trying to help him."

"Well, they do say that Nekos are rather headstrong creatures," Dr. Po chuckled. "But actually I think this is more an issue of control."

"An issue of control?" her assistant echoed surprised.

The young woman nodded. "This might be the very fist time in his life that he is actually in control, rather than having somebody else dictates each and every thing he does," she explained, before turning to Treize. "Do you mind if I give it a try?" Dr Po asked.

"Go right ahead," Treize told her. "Maybe you will have more success than I had."

Sally knocked at the door, opening it slowly. The young neko, sitting in bed with his back against some propped up pillows, glanced at her wearily.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Po. May I come in?"

Zechs frowned. "I already said I don't need a doctor."

"I know, and I'll accept your choice, if that's really what you want. Can I just talk to you?"

"Fine!" he agreed.

"Thank you." Sally stepped into the room and took a seat on the chair next to his bed. The neko was watching her every move.

"You said that you wanted to talk……"

She nodded. "I don't know if you realize it, but Mr. Khushrenada and his daughter are very concerned about you. Especially Mariemaia is worried that you will get very sick without proper care."

Zechs' expression turned to puzzlement. "Did she tell you that?" The idea that somebody would worry about him was something new to him.

Dr. Po gave another nod. "Yes, she did. She really likes you, Zechs, a lot."

He said nothing, turned his head and gazed out of the window for a few minutes. The young woman waited without pushing any further. Her patience was rewarded when he suddenly asked.

"Let's assume for a moment that I would agree to an examination. What would you be doing?"

Sally smiled inwardly. To her this was a sign that he was at least willing to consider the idea. "Well, I would first take your vital signs, listen to your heart and your lungs, and take your temperature. If it is alright with you I would also like to take a blood sample," she explained. "I was also told that you hurt your ankle, so I bought a portable x-ray machine along to check if it is broken or just sprained. Once we know I'll decide how to treat it. And that's pretty much all."

"That's it?" he asked wearily.

She nodded. "That's it. I wouldn't do anything you don't want me to do."

There was a moment of silence as Zechs seemed to think about it. "Fine, I agree." He finally nodded.

Sally smiled. "Thanks. I'll go get my medical bag then."

* * *

T.B.C.Author's Note:

While I was fighting with my muses and plot bunnies, I also worked on another non GW fic. It's based on View Finder a manga series by Yamane Ayano that will be released here in the US in March. The story is posted on my website (check my bios page for the URL) in the Yaoi/ Other Anime section under the title Possession 


	13. Chapter 11

**The Purrfect Houseguest**

**Part 11**

Dr Po took another sip from her cup, and grimaced at the taste of the coffee gone cold. She frowned as she looked over the results of Zechs' blood analysis. No matter how she looked at it, things just didn't seem to add up. The test results weren't even close to what they should have been according to her text books. Could the books really be that wrong? And what was even worse, she still had no idea why the neko was sick.

Perhaps, she thought, as she rubbed her eyes, things will become clearer once his DNA test is finished. Although it would not help her much from a medical point, Sally had done the test anyway, more out of curiosity. She was hoping that she might be able to link Zechs' DNA to that of one of the individuals in the institute's database, and establish some kind of ancestral link. Knowing where the neko came from and perhaps even identify the individual that had been used to clone him from would be quite interesting.

Sally glanced at the clock at the wall. It was a quarter to two in the morning. The DNA test wouldn't be finished for another few hours. Time enough for her to get at least a little sleep.

* * *

"How is he?" Wufei asked as Treize entered the kitchen.

"He finally fell asleep." The older man walked over to his lover and snatched the coffee cup from his hand as he kissed him good morning. "Hmm…hot and strong, just the way I like it," he remarked appreciatively after the first sip. "Is Marie still asleep?"

Wufei shook his head. "Mister Garner came by with Rex earlier; the three of them are taking a walk." The young man poured another cup of coffee and propped himself against the counter as regarded his lover. "You should get some sleep," he suggested.

In spite of the medicine Dr Po had left for him Zechs condition had taken a turn to the worse by the evening, and Treize has been watching over the sick neko all night long.

The tawny haired man made a dismissive gesture. "I'm fine; don't worry. Beside, I **did** get some sleep."

"Dozing off in a chair next to his bed isn't really what I would consider sleeping. But anyway, Dr. Po called earlier."

"Oh, did she? What did she say? Was she able to figure out what it is that's making Zechs so sick?"

Wufei shook his head. "She is still working on that. But there is something else she found out, and you might want to sit down for this…"

Treize looked at his lover in a mixture of alert and concern. "What is it?"

"She ran a DNA test on Zechs' blood and it appears that he isn't a pure-blooded neko after all. Sally found both neko and human genes in his DNA."

"Human genes?" The tawny-haired man frowned. "Is that even possible?"

"Apparently it is. She ran the test twice to make sure that there was no cross-contamination."

"So, what exactly does that mean for Zechs? Does it make any difference in the way he should be treated?"

"I'm not sure about that either. But Dr. Po said that due to the fact that he is half human we should be able to increase his medication without risk. Perhaps that will help."

Treize nodded. "Perhaps."

"But if it doesn't…," Wufei paused for a moment, setting down his coffee cup before he continued. "Maybe we should consider taking him to the institute where he can be examined much more thoroughly."

"That's out of question."

The younger man blinked, surprised about the resolution in his lover's voice.

"Zechs does not want to be taken back to a laboratory, and I promised him that we would accept his decision."

"I'm not suggesting putting him into the institute for the rest of his life," Wufei argued. "Just temporarily, until we have figured out what's wrong with him and can cure him."

"The answer is still 'No'. Unless Zechs agrees to it, which I seriously doubt, he will not be taken anywhere."

"For god sake, Treize, you are just being stubborn," Wufei's voice was underlines with frustration. "Do you realize that he might be the only living neko, pure-blooded or not, on the face of this earth? You'd rather let him die, than allow him to be taken to a place where we could take better care of him, and at the same time study him a little better?"

"Yes I would," Treize confirmed solemnly. "I'll be damned if I let anybody, and that includes you, Wufei, use him as a guinea pig again."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Wufei scowled. "Are you trying to say that I…"

The young man's protest was cut short by the sound of somebody clearing his throat. "Excuse me?"

Both Treize and Wufei spun around. Zechs was standing in the door, leaning heavily against the wooden frame. How long had he been standing there?

"Zechs, what are you doing down here?" the tawny haired man asked surprised. "I thought you were sleeping."

"I knocked over the glass on the nightstand and spilled the water. I was looking for something to clean up with," the neko explained quietly.

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of that." Treize told him. "Let's get you back to bed; you really shouldn't be walking around in your condition."

Without protest Zechs allowed himself to be guided back to his room. He had to lean heavily on the older man as they walked up the stairs. As they stepped into the guestroom Treize noticed the wet stain on the carpet directly in front of the nightstand. He ignored it for the time being, helped Zechs back into bed and laid his hand against the blond neko's forehead. "You still have a high fever. I'll give you some more medicine. Dr Po said it is alright to give you a higher dose." He went into the bathroom to refill the water glass. A plastic bottle filled with white pills was sitting on the nightstand. Treize opened it and poured two of the small tablets into the palm of his hand. He helped Zechs to sit up and supported him while he was taking the medication.

"Alright, now try to get some sleep," Treize told the neko as he helped him to settle back into the pillows.

The tawny haired man left the room for a second time and returned a few moments later with a couple of old towels. He knelt down next to wet stain in the carpet and dabbed at the spot, trying to soak up as much as possible of the spilled water.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Zechs," Treize made a dismissive gesture. "It's just water; it will dry in no time at all."

"I'm not only talking about the spill," the neko replied, voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry for barging into your life like this. It seems as though I have only been causing trouble since I got here. I guess it would have been better if our paths had not crossed again."

"Zechs," Treize stopped what he was doing and looked up. "Stop talking like that. And stop thinking of yourself as being troublesome. We are happy to have you here with us."

"Are you sure about that? It sure didn't sound like it earlier."

The tawny-haired man sighed as he rose to his feet and settled down on the edge of the bed. "I'm not sure how much you've heard, but I think you are having the wrong impression. In spite of what he might have said, Wufei is really just concerned about you and wants the best for you."

Zechs gave a quiet snort, but didn't say anything. Still it was obvious that he didn't agree with what Treize said.

"No matter what, Zechs, you are safe here, remember that. I won't let anything happen to you. Now try to go to sleep."

The neko closed his eyes, a deep, content purr resonating in his throat, as the older man ran his fingers through the soft, silvery hair.

* * *

Wufei was sitting with his back toward him in the living room, reading, when Treize came back downstairs. The tawny haired man stopped at the foot of the stairs and sighed inwardly. Wufei was probably angry with him and Treize couldn't blame him. An apology was definitely in order. "Wufei?"

His lover hesitated for a moment before turning his head. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry." Treize put on what he hoped was a very apologetic expression. "About what I said earlier…It was totally out of line and uncalled for… I…"

"No," Wufei shook his head. "You were absolutely right." The young man seemed embarrassed, and stared down at the book in his lap. "I don't know what came over me or what I was even thinking…"

Treize approached his lover slowly and embraced him from behind. He could feel Wufei tense in his arms, but the young man didn't resist, not even when Treize dipped his head to place a ghost of a kiss on the back of his neck. "You are thinking like a scientist. Although I don't agree with you, I can certainly understand your point of view. And I hope that you also accept my feelings about this."

"I do," Wufei replied quietly. "I do understand."

Treize gently seized his lover's chin and turned Wufei's face toward him. "I love you," he whispered softly as he leaned in to capture those velvet-soft lips in a gentle kiss.

Wufei closed his eyes and moaned; his lips parted slightly, just far enough for Treize to slip his tongue between them. _I love you too, Treize_.

* * *

Sally Po checked her watch for the 10th time since she had entered the small coffee shop. She was waiting for somebody, but that person was nearly half an hour late by now. _Maybe she changed her mind_, the doctor thought. She had been surprised that she had managed to talk Inspector Otto into setting up a meeting between her and Miss Noin in the first place.

Lucrezia Noin was the person who had contacted the OII regarding Gentec. As far as Sally knew, the young woman had worked for the company for several months as a lab assistant, and she had hoped that Miss Noin could give her some more information about Zechs.

"Doctor Po?"

Sally turned to face a young woman with short, black hair and dark eyes. "Yes, I'm Sally Po."

"I'm Lucrezia Noin," the young woman confirmed what Sally had already expected. "I was told you wanted to speak to me. What is this about?"

"I…need to talk to you about Zechs."

"What about him?" Noin eyed the young doctor suspiciously even as he sat down in the chair across from her.

"He is very sick, and I have no idea how to treat him."

Noin's eyes widened. "Zechs is alive?"

"You seem surprised."

"I was told that the OII didn't find any sign of him at the Gentec lab, so I was afraid that they had actually gotten rid of him," she admitted. "I'm glad he is alive, but I don't understand why Inspector Otto lied to me."

"He didn't," Sally told her. The doctor knew that in order for Noin to trust her, she also needed to trust the young woman and tell her the whole truth. "The inspector has no idea about this. I was with him when he searched that lab. We didn't find anything. It seems as though Zechs somehow managed to run away the day before the raid. Through some strange coincident he was found and taken in by the family of one of my colleagues. Only a five people, and that includes you, know about this."

The conversation was interrupted as a waiter approached the table. "Some more coffee?" she asked with a polite smile.

Dr Po nodded. "Yes, please."

The young man refilled the cup and turned to Noin. "And what can I get you?"

"I'll have a cup of coffee as well."

The waiter nodded in acknowledgement. "I'll be right back with your order."

"So what you are saying is that Zechs escaped and is now living with a friend of yours? What's going to happen to him?"

"That I don't know," Dr Po admitted. "My main concern right now is to figure out what is wrong with him. He fell ill soon after his escape and his condition has been deteriorating ever since. That's why I contacted you, in hopes that you might be able to help. It's almost as though his body is slowly shutting down, but I can't figure out why."

"That might be just it."

Sally frowned. "Excuse me?"  
Just then the waiter returned with the coffee, and Noin waited until the young man was out of earshot again before she answered. "While I worked at the Gentec lab I noticed that Zechs was taking medication every morning."

"What kind of medication?" Sally wanted to know.

"Well…" Noin hesitated for a moment before she continued. "Since you say you have done a blood analysis and such on him I assume you know already that Zechs is…umm…"

"Half human?" Dr. Po threw in. "Why is that anyway? What was Gentec thinking?"

The other woman shrugged. "I can't tell you that, but as far as I know, about twenty years ago Romefeller provided Gentec with tissue samples of a male and a female neko, and requested that they would be used for cloning. However, through some mistake made by somebody in the lab, the male tissue sample became unusable. Afraid that Romefeller night caught their funding Gentec never told them about their blunder. Instead they used some newly developed method to create male clones by using female neko DNA and male human DNA. For some reason none of the other clones survived longer than a few months. As for Zechs," Noin smirked softly. "I think he was just too damn stubborn to die."

Sally couldn't help but smile. She had the feeling that Noin was really fond of the young neko. "So, what about that medication?" she asked.

"It's basically a mix of different immune suppressants, very similar to drugs used on transplant recipients."

_Of course, this makes perfect sense_. Dr Po almost felt sheepish for not thinking of something so obvious. Apparently Zechs' body was basically fighting itself.

"I have a small sample of the drug if you are interested."

Sally's jaw almost dropped. This was almost too good to be true. "Of course I'm interested."

"Informing the OII about Zechs wasn't really my first choice," Noin explained. "I actually had been looking for a way to free him. That's why I took the sample. I had it analyzed and have the results on my computer at home. When I realized that I didn't have the means to provide Zechs with the medication he needed to survive I decided to call the OII."

Dr. Po nodded. She could empathize with Miss Noin and her motivations. "I'm sure Zechs appreciates what you have been trying to do for him."

"Thanks. If you wish we can go to my apartment right now, I live just across the street."

"Whenever you are ready," Sally replied. The sooner she could put Zechs back on his medication the better for him.

* * *

T.B.C.

Author's Note:


	14. Chapter 12

**The Purrfect Houseguest**

**Part 12**

"What are you doing?"

The question startled Mariemaia. She was sitting at the desk in her room, so enthralled in her drawing that she hadn't even heard Zechs approach.

The tall neko looked over her shoulder at the picture she was coloring.

"Oh Zechs, don't sneak up on me like that."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you. Next time I'll try to be a little more noisy." He smirked at her. "So, what **are** you doing?"

"Homework," the girl explained. "Miss Harper, our art teacher, asked us to draw pictures of what we have been doing over the weekend." She rummaged in her box of markers, picked up two colored pens and held them up for Zechs to see. "Which one should I use for Papa's hair?"

"Hmm…This one," the Neko gestured at the slightly lighter color before leaning over the desk to get a better look at the picture. "So, this is your dad?" he pointed at the tallest figure in Marie's drawing. "Then who is the man next to him, Uncle Wufei?"

Mariemaia chuckled, and the neko gave her a questioning look. "What?"

"Nothing, its just sounds funny if you call him 'Uncle Wufei' since you are older than him."

"Hmm…" Zechs shrugged. "Maybe you are right. But anyway, am I going to be in your picture too?

"Of course." Mariemaia nodded as she pointed at the drawing. "That's you, sitting right next to me."

The neko frowned. "That's me? Why am I all furry and small?"

"Ahm… Papa said I can't tell anybody that you are a neko, so I drew you as a cat because I really wanted you to be in the picture, that's alright isn't it?"

"Sure it is," Zechs smiled at her. "I think I look cute as a cat. But who is that scary looking woman?"

"Scary looking?" Now Mariemaia was frowning. "That's Doctor Po. She was here when you were sick, don't you remember?"

Zechs scratched his ear and cocked his head. "I remember Dr Po, but I don't recall her having horns."

"Those aren't horns; they are pigtails," Marie snorted in exasperation. "If you keep making fun of my picture I'll draw a large pink bow around your neck."

"Oh no, not a pink bow," the neko exclaimed in feigned horror.

* * *

A soft smile crossed Treize's face as he looked up from his newspaper when the sound of laughter and giggling reached him from upstairs. "Sounds like somebody is having fun up there."

"Uhum," Wufei mumbles in agreement. He was lying curled up on the couch, reading.

"I'm amazed how fast Zechs' health improved. Is that normal for nekos?"

Wufei shrugged. "I'm really not sure. From what I have read they are a lot more resilient than humans but I didn't expect him to recover this quickly either."

Treize nodded. It had been not even forty-eight hours since Dr. Po had brought the neko the drugs he needed. His condition has improved almost over night after he took the medication. It had been difficult to make him stay in bed all day on Sunday, but luckily Mariemaia had found ways to keep the neko, and herself, occupied.

Wufei closed his book and stretched leisurely. "We probably should start packing if we don't want to hit rush-hour traffic on the way home," he suggested.

"You are probably right," his lover agreed. He folded up his paper and rose from his chair. "I'll go and check on Marie."

As Treize walked upstairs he could hear more giggling underlined with deep bubbling laughter. _I'm glad the two of them get along so well. I hope Zechs will stay with us even after he is fully recovered, for Marie's sake as much as for my own. I want to give him the life he had never known till now. This is my chance to make up for being such a coward when I was younger. _

The door to Mariemaia's room stood wide open. She was at her desk drawing, while Zechs was sitting on the windowsills watching her.

"How is homework coming along?"

"Almost done," Marie told him.

"Great. Wufei and I are going to start packing. Let me know when you are finished and I'll come and help you with your things."

"You don't have to, Papa. Zechs will help me, won't you?"

The neko shrugged. "Sure, why not."

"Alright then; just make sure you don't forget anything."

* * *

"We are home. Yay, we are finally home…"

Mariemaia was so excited that Zechs was afraid that she might jump out of the car before he even came to a full stop. Wufei's motorcycle was already standing in the driveway when they pulled in.

Through the tinted car windows the neko eyed the large, white house. _So, this is home?_ Zechs never had a place he really considered 'home' before. It was just something he heard other people talk about. When Treize offered him last night to stay with them for as long as he wished, part of him was only too happy to accept. But there was also another, bigger part of him that was wary. This sounded just too good to be true; and good things never lasted very long in his experience. So, why should this be any different?

A small hand suddenly reached for his, pulling him out of the car and jerking him from his gloomy thoughts.

"Let's go Zechs; I'll show you your room."

"Mariemaia," her father reprimanded. "Calm down. You can't treat people like rag dolls. Zechs will go with you when he is ready."

Marie ducked her head slightly and gave the neko a somewhat sheepish grin. "I'm sorry. I think I got a little too excited."

"It's alright," Zechs assured her with a smile.

"Do you want me to show you your room now?"

"Hmm… sure, but shouldn't we help your dad to unload the car first?"

"Na," Marie waved the suggestion away. "He will get it done much faster of we don't get in his way."

Zechs gave her father a questioning look.

Treize chuckled. "I'm afraid she is probably right. You two go; Wufei ad I will take care of the luggage."

"Let's go!"

Mariemaia was already running ahead and Zechs had to hurry to follow her. The moment he walked through the front door he noticed that the house was a lot more elegant than the cabin in the mountains. Everything was beautiful and stylish. He didn't have much time to look around though because Marie was already calling for him to come upstairs.

As she led him past several doors the young girl explained. "This is Papa's study; that's where he does most of his writing. This is Papa's and Uncle Wufei's bedroom…"

Finally when they almost reached the end of the hallway she stopped. "And here is your room."

The neko took a few cautious steps inside the room and let his gaze wander. This was a far cry from the small, sterile, white chamber he had lived in at the research center. Two large windows flooded the room with golden sunlight. The bed was large; even wider than he one he had been sleeping in for the past few days. It looked soft and comfortable. There was a small table with two armchairs, a closet, a dresser and two nightstands.

"Look, you even have your own bathroom." Mariemaia opened a door that let into small but elegant bathroom.

"So," Treize asked as he walked into the room with several shopping bags. "What do you think?"

"The room is wonderful," Zechs gave him a little smile.

"I'm glad you like it." Treize set down the bags and stepped to one of the windows to open it. "It's a little stuffy in here; we haven't used the room for a while."

"Not since Uncle Wufei moved into your bedroom," his daughter confirmed earnestly. "You would think the two of them are old enough to sleep in their own beds, wouldn't you?"

Zechs frowned slightly. Did Treize actually blush a little at that statement or was he imagining things.

"Yah well…, I better get the rest of the stuff in the house. Marie will you help Zechs put his clothes away." The tawny haired man gestured at the shopping bag.

On the way home they had stopped at a mall, and while Zechs and Mariemaia waited in the car, Treize had bought a few things like T-shirts, jeans, boxers and other personal items for the neko.

"Of course," the little girl nodded.

"Alright, I'll leave you two then." Treize headed for the door, but turned once more before he left. "I just remember we have a spare TV in the garage. We can bring it up later."

Folding up and putting away a couple of boxers and T-shirt didn't take very long and they were done in no time at all.

"Do you want to see my room now?" Marie asks after she had put Zechs toiletries into the bathroom.

* * *

Mariemaia's room was downstairs. The girl was just showing Zechs her new computer when they heard her father call for them.

"In here, Papa," she called out.

"Ah, there you are." Treize walked into the room a short moment later. "Marie what would you like for dinner; grilled steak or fish?"

"How about pizza?"

"We just had pizza on Saturday," her father pointed out.

"That one had peppers and mushrooms on it," Marie crinkled her nose in distaste. "That doesn't count. I want a real pizza."

"I see. And what does the princess consider a 'real' pizza?" Treize asked in a mixture of amusement and sarcasm.

"A real pizza has just pepperonis and a lot of cheese. That's how I like it. Do you like pizza, Zechs?"

"Uhm…, yes I do. The pizza we had on Saturday was pretty good."

"See, Papa, Zechs wants pizza too."

"That's not exactly what he said, but alright," her father gave in. "I'll ask Wufei to pick on up on the way back from the market."

"Uncle Wufei is going to the market? Can I go too?"

"You'll have to ask him, not me."

"And what about Zechs? Can I ask him if Zechs can come too? I don't think he has ever been at a supermarket, have you?"

The neko shook his head.

"Hold on Marie, I believe we talked about this already, didn't we? Zechs can't go anywhere where people can see him."

"But…" The girl pouted, but it lasted no more a couple of seconds before she suddenly perked up and grinned. "I just got an idea. Don't go anywhere, I'm right back."

Zechs chuckled as she dashed out of the room. "She has a lot of energy, doesn't she?"

"She sure does," Treize agreed. "But you know, Zechs, when she gets a little carried away it's alright for you to tell her to slow down. Let her know if you want to spend some time by yourself."

"That's alright. I really don't mind," the neko replied. _I have been spending way too much time by myself already. _

When Mariemaia returned she had a blue baseball hat in her hand. Treize remembered picking it up somewhere on vacation a couple of years ago, but he thought it had ended up in the trash long ago.

"Bend down!" she ordered. When Zechs complied she put the cap on his head, making sure to tuck in both of his furry ears. She then took a step back, crocked her head and eyed her work. "There, that will do it. If he keeps his hands in his pockets when he is around people nobody will ever notice anything."

"Marie, I don't know…" Treize still was hesitant, but when he noticed the pleading look in Zechs eyes he threw his hands up in defeat. "Alright, why don't we go all together to the market then?"

* * *

"Papa," Mariemaia tugged at her father's sleeve as they entered the market. "Can Zechs and I have some ice-cream?"

Treize gazed over to the food court. The tables were nearly empty. "Fine," he agreed. "But only one scoop. It's close to dinner time and I don't want you to spoil your appetite." He pulled out his wallet and handed his daughter a few bills. "Go, buy your ice-cream and stay here in the food-court with Zechs. We will pick you up when we are done with the shopping."

Marie nodded. "Alright, and thank you, Papa."

As she and the neko headed for the ice-cream counter Treize noticed a grin on his lover's face.

"What?" he asked.

Wufei shook his head. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" the tawny-haired man asked skeptical.

"Well, I was just thinking. Marie had you already wrapped around her little finger before, but now, between the two of them, you will never be able to say 'no' to anything they want."

Treize huffed. "I don't know what you are talking about," he remarked, his face a perfectly serious mask.

* * *

"What flavor do you like?" Mariemaia looked up at the tall neko questioningly.

"Hmm…I'm not sure." Zechs felt a little lost as he looked at the selection. He had only eaten plain vanilla and chocolate ice-cream before, but here he had dozens of options.

"That's alright," Marie said. "They let you taste them first if you ask." She went to the counter and pointed to several ice-cream containers when the sales lady asked her what she wanted. "We would like to try the pineapple-coconut, orange cream, pistachio, double chocolate fudge and berry swirl, please."

"Wait, Marie, your dad said we should have only one scoop." Zechs pointed out.

"I know," the little girl grinned. "But he didn't say how many we could try first."

When the neko have her a skeptical look she added. "Don't worry I won't spoil my appetite; not when we have pizza for dinner."

After tasting a few flavors Marie picked the double chocolate fudge with even more chocolate chips sprinkled on top, while Zechs opted for a scoop of pineapple coconut. They settled down at one of the small tables.

"Do you like it?"

"It's very good." The neko nodded.

For a while they indulged quietly in the sweet pleasure, before Zechs asked. "Marie?"

"Yes!"

"I was wondering, what did your dad mean, earlier when he said that he has to take you home after dinner? I thought you were 'home' at his house?"

"I am, but I also have another 'home' where my grandparents live." She explained.

The blond neko frowned slightly. "Why is that?"

"It's because when I was still very little, my mom and my dad didn't like each other anymore. They had a divorce, and mom and I moved to my grandparents' house. When my mom died and went to heaven she left me with grandpa and grandma. So now I stay with them during the week, and on weekends and when I don't have school I live with my Papa."

"I see. So you will leave later tonight and won't come back till the weekend?"

"Yes, but today is already Monday. I'll be gone on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday…" she held up one sticky, ice-cream covered finger for each day. "Just three days. And Friday after school Papa will pick me up again." After a short moment of hesitation she asked quietly. "Will you still be there when I come back?"

"I will," Zechs assured her.

"Promise?"

"Promise!"

* * *

Treize Khushrenada raised one eyebrow in surprise as he checked out some of the items Wufei had been putting into the basket. "Whole grain pasta, fat free yogurt, tofu…are you planning on going on a health trip?"

"Those aren't for me."

"Oh!" The tawny-haired man looked down on himself. "Are you trying to tell me something?" he asked, a humorous sparkle in his eyes.

His lover rolled his eyes. "No, not for you either. It's Zechs I'm worried about. Till now I'm sure he had been living on a very strict and healthy diet. I'm not sure how good it will be for him when he stuffs himself full of pizza, hamburgers and fried chicken all of a sudden."

"Oh, come on Wufei. Let him have some fun. It's not like we are living on junk-food. A hamburger every now and then won't kill him."

"Papa!"

Both Treize and Wufei turned at the sound of Mariemaia's voice.

"Papa, have you seen Zechs?"

"What do you mean?" Her father frowned. "I thought I told the two of you to stay together and wait for us at the food court."

"And we did," Marie confirmed. "But I went to the bathroom to wash my hands and when I got back Zechs was gone."

* * *

T.B.C.

Author's Note:


	15. Chapter 13

**The Purrfect Houseguest**

**Part 13**

As Zechs waited for Marie to return from the restroom he watched people rush by, entering and leaving the market. Everybody seemed in a hurry, except for a young man who had been loitering around near the entrance for a while now. There was something about the way he was gazing around that just didn't seem right. He just didn't fit in with the rest of the crowd.

Zechs had never before seen so many people, and such a hustle and bustle; not even at the lab, at those times when he managed to get out of his quarters and the entire staff was on their feet looking for him. All the noise and activity around him was beginning to give him a headache.

_Maybe some fresh air will help_, the neko thought, as he massaged his temples. He rose to his feet and headed for the exit, stopping at one point to let an elderly lady with a large shopping cart pass. Just as the lady reached the sliding door she dropped the walking cane that had been hanging on the cart's handlebar. Zechs was quickly by her side and picked the cane up, earning himself a friendly smile and a heartfelt: "Thank you, young man."

As the lady continued her way to the parking lot, the young neko found himself a spot where he wasn't in anybodies way, near the large, glass entrance door. From there he could keep an eye on the bathroom door Mariemaia had disappeared through.

The hat he was wearing felt uncomfortably tight, and his ears were itching beneath the fabric, but he didn't dare to remove it in front of so many people. With a sigh the neko closed his eyes momentarily, trying to block out the noises around him, and will away the approaching headache.

Suddenly several things happened at once. Somebody, a woman, screamed, then yelled: "Hold him; please stop that man, he stole my purse."  
At the same moment Zechs was shoved aside, hard enough to almost knock him over, as somebody ran past him. As the neko turned to glare at whoever it was, he recognized the young man who had earlier been lingering inside the store. He was holding a gray leather purse pressed against his chest while running down the sidewalk, pushing aside people who didn't get out of his way fast enough.  
In the parking lot the old lady with the cane was still yelling for somebody to catch the thief. The neko frowned. It didn't take much to put one and one together. And since nobody else seemed willing to stop the purse snatcher, Zechs flew into action.

The young man had a considerable head start, but then again, he had never been chased by a neko. At one point he looked back over his shoulder. Realizing that he was being pursued, he sped up. But Zechs still was faster. Dodging people and several cars as he crossed the street, the neko caught quickly up with his target. With a final, long leap Zechs dove at the thief.

At the last moment the young man spun around, a spring-blade knife in his hand. He lashed out at his pursuer, as they both hit the ground with a thump.

Zechs' eyes narrowed. Instinctively he unsheathed his claws as he caught the attacker's wrist in mid-air. A low growl formed in his throat as he squeezed the young man's arm until the hand opened and the knife dropped.

The thief stared at him, eyes wide in shock. "What the hell are you?" he stammered. With the strength of desperation he somehow managed to free himself from the taller and heavier neko. He stumbled to his feet and ran, leaving behind his weapon and the purse he had stolen.

Zechs didn't even try to follow; he had no interest anymore in the young man. Instead he rose and dusted the dirt off of his clothes, then he picked up the hand bag and headed back to the parking lot.

* * *

"Maybe he just wandered off to look around in the store. Nekos are known to be curious." Wufei pointed out. "Let's split up," he suggested. "You finish shopping and I'll go looking for him. I'll call you when I find him." 

Treize nodded. "Good idea."

"Can I go with Uncle Wufei?" Mariemaia wanted to know.

"No, you stay with me," the ginger-blond man told his daughter. "The last thing we need right now, is for you to get lost as well."

The young girl pouted.

"It's alright, Treize. I'll keep an eye on her." Wufei assured him.

"All right then," Treize finally agreed. As his lover and Marie left to look for the neko, he headed for the cash register. In spite of what Wufei had said, he was worried. What if Zechs hadn't just wandered off? Could it be that he had taken the opportunity to run away? Or did something happen to him? He heaved a little sigh.

As he stood in line at the check-out, Treize couldn't help but overhear a conversation between two women who seemed to know each other. One of them had just entered the store, while the other was standing in line, right behind him.

"What's going on out there, do you know? I think I just saw a police car drive by," asked the lady behind Treize.

"You mean you haven't heard?" her friend asked. "Somebody got mugged, right outside the store in the parking lot."

"You don't say so. That's terrible."

"Yeah, really. In a crowded parking lot, in bright daylight, what a scary thought. The guy just pulled out a knife and demanded the woman's purse. But I heard that a bystander jumped in and wrestled him down."

"Really? Wow. Who would do something like that? I thought things like that only happen in the movies. So the police got the robber?"

"No, I think he got away. They are talking to witnesses now."

"Excuse me, Ladies. I need to get through. I just remember I forgot something." Treize gave the two women an apologetic smile as he hastily pulled out of the line. He reached for his cell phone. Wufei picked up at the first ring. "I think I might know where Zechs is. Meet me at cash register five."

* * *

Zechs ducked his head. He was feeling more than just a little uneasy. There were way too many people around him, way too much noise. All he had wanted was to give the lady her purse back and then be on his way. But then the police arrived, first one car, then a second. Two officers had taken him aside and started questioning him. 

"Are you alright, Sir? You weren't injured, were you?"

"No," he shook his head. "I'm fine."

"We'd like you to give us a description of the suspect, Sir." One of the policemen pulled out a notebook and looked at him expectantly.

"Well…I don't know…I didn't even see him that well." Uncomfortably Zechs shifted from one foot to the other. _I just want to get out of here._

"But you have seen him, have you not?" the officer prodded. "What did he look like? Was he old or young?"

"Young."

"How old?"

Zechs shrugged. "Maybe 18, maybe a little younger."

"Was he black or white or…"

"He was white." He replied and the policeman wrote it down on his notepad.

"Hair?"

"Yes," Zechs answered quickly. He just wanted to get this over with as quick as possible.

"What?"

"Yes, he did have hair."

The officer exchanged a strange gaze with his partner.

"Excuse me? What is going on?"

The neko let out a silent sigh of relieve at the sound of Treize's voice.

* * *

The taller of the two officers turned toward Treize. "We are conducting an investigation, Sir. I'll have to ask you to step away." 

"I understand, Sir." The ginger-blond man nodded. "But you see, this young man is under my care, I'm his legal guardian," he lied without loosing a beat.

The officer looked at Treize, then at Zechs and back at Treize. "His guardian?" he asked.

"Yes." Treize confirmed. "Could we perhaps step aside where we have a little less of an audience?" He gestured at the crowd of onlookers that had gathered at the scene.

"Of course!"

"I realize that you couldn't know that," he explained once they had walked a few yards away. "But the young man is autistic?"

"Autistic?" the policeman looked back at Zechs, and Treize prayed that he didn't know enough about the illness to call his bluff. "Well I guess it makes sense then. No offense, sir, but I was wondering why anybody in his right mind would go after an armed robber," he finally said. "It must be tough for you…"

"Yeah well," Treize managed to keep a straight expression. "We have good days and bad days. But in any case I'm afraid his statement will be of no use for you."

"No, I guess not."

"Then I take it you won't mind if we are going to leave now. He really doesn't feel comfortable with too many people around." That wasn't even a lie.

* * *

On the drive home, Zechs didn't say a single word. He just stared quietly out of the window, and didn't even get out of the car as they stopped to pick up some pizza. 

Once they got home he helped brining in the grocery bags before excusing himself. "I'm tired. I think I'm going to lie down."

"What about dinner?" Treize asked. "We are just about to dish up the pizza."

"I'm not hungry."

The tawny-haired man heaved a little sigh, as he watched the blond neko walk upstairs to his room. It was more than obvious that something was bothering Zechs.

* * *

"Marie and I'll take care of the dishes tonight," Wufei suggested after dinner when Treize rose to clean the table. "You go and talk to him." 

Treize nodded. "Thanks."

When he walked upstairs, he found the door to Zechs' room closed. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if Zechs might be asleep, before knocking softly.

"Zechs, are you awake? It's me, Treize. May I come in?"

"Yes, of course."

The neko was sitting on the window sill, one of his long legs drawn against his chest, and his arms wrapped around it.

"Are you sure you don't want to eat anything? There is still some pizza left."

"I'm not hungry, thanks."

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" Treize asked softly as he stepped closer.

After a few moments of silence Zechs finally turned his head to look at the older man. "I'm sorry?"

"Sorry?" Treize raised one eyebrow in surprise. "Sorry about what?"

"About what happened earlier," Zechs explained, voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't think before I acted. I didn't think at all, and I really don't blame you if you are angry at me. Maybe it is better if I would leave. It probably would have been best if I'd never come here. It was very kind of you to take in a stray like me, but I don't belong in a place like this. I'll only keep causing trouble for you if I stay."

Treize sighed inwardly. He walked over to the bed, settled down on the edge and patted the spot to his left, gesturing for Zechs to come and sit down.

"Zechs, I'm not angry at you," he spoke as the neko was sitting next to him. "Well, maybe I was a little angry, at first, but only because we were worried about you. You were trying to do what you thought was the right thing, but it was dangerous, very dangerous. What if that guy would have had a gun instead of a knife? You could have gotten seriously hurt or even killed."

"I know that's why…," Zechs started to speak, but Treize put his finger over the neko's lips, silencing him.

"Shush! Just listen for the moment," he said. "I know, I said that I wouldn't try to stop you if you'd ever decide to leave. However I want you to know that we consider you part of this family now. I don't want you to think of yourself as a 'stray' or being trouble. Nobody expects you too be perfect. You have never lived amongst humans like this, it will take some getting used to, and you are bound to make mistake. But in this case I think it was me who made the biggest mistake. I should have never left you alone with Mariemaia."

"But you told us not to go anywhere," Zechs pointed out. "I should have listened." Then after a moment of silence he confessed. "I was scared. When the police came, all I could think of was what if they realize what I am, what if they are going to take me back to a lab…"

Treize felt his throat tightening. His heart went out to the young neko. Gently he embraced Zechs and pulled him into his arms.

"It's alright, Zechs. You have nothing to worry," he assured him. "Remember I told you, you are part of this family now. Anybody trying to take you away would have to go through me and Wufei first."

* * *

Zechs was lying on his bed, his hands interlaced behind his head, still musing about what Treize had said, when a quiet, almost timid knock ripped him from his thoughts. 

"Come in!"

The door opened slowly and Mariemaia's red head popped through the opening. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I wasn't sleeping." The neko sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

Marie was carrying her little blue backpack on her shoulders and a big white teddy bear in her arm as she stepped into the room. "Papa is going to take me home to grandma and grandpa's house now. I just came to say good bye."

"Oh, right, you told me about that earlier," Zechs nodded. "You will be gone till Friday, right?"

"Right," the little girl confirmed. And then after a moment of silence she asked quietly. "Will you still be here when I come back?"

The neko gave another nod. "I'll be here."

"Promise?" Mariemaia have him a firm look.

A soft smile tugged on Zechs' lips as he nodded once again. "Promise! I'll stay here as long as I'm welcome."

"Honey, we have to leave," her father called out from downstairs.

"Coming, Papa." Marie suddenly threw her arms around the blond neko and hugged him tightly. Then she ran off, waving at him one last time from the door.

* * *

"Still working?" 

Wufei, sitting at the computer in the study that he and Treize now shared, turned his head at the sound of his lover's voice. "You are home already? I didn't even hear the garage door."

"I parked in the driveway Treize explained as he walked up behind the younger man, put his hands on Wufei's shoulders and gently massaged them. "So, why are you still working at this time?"

Wufei closed his eyes momentarily enjoying his lover's gentle touch. "I'm just trying to get this research report done. Doctor Po wants me to have it finished by Thursday."

"The woman is turning into a real slave driver."

Wufei snorted at the other man's lighthearted comment. "And what is it to you? You are not working for her."

"Well…" Treize dipped his head, placing a ghost of a kiss onto the soft, smooth skin at the nape of his lover's neck. "Since the weekend didn't turn out as quiet and relaxing as I had expected, I was hoping for some alone time tonight. No computers, no scripts, no deadlines…" He nipped playfully at Wufei's ear before whispering suggestively. "…just you and I and the bathtub."

Wufei swallowed. There was something about that idea that sent shivers down his spine; very pleasant shivers. He faltered. "Hmm, I really would like to get that report done…"

"I'd even give you a massage, a very long and very thorough massage," Treize purred into his ear. "And that's only the beginning."

The suggestiveness in his lover's voice and the hot breath against his neck was Wufei's undoing. His resistance melted away like snow on the warm spring day. "Well, I guess I could finish it tomorrow."

Treize gave a soft, bubbling laugh. "Excellent. I'll go and draw the bath."

* * *

T.B.C. 

Author's Note:


	16. Chapter 15

**Thank you to everybody who reviewed this story**

What happened to Chapter 14? well, chapter 14 is a lemon chapter. Sorry fan fiction net readers. you will have to go to my website (url at my user page) or mediaminer to read it.

**

* * *

**

**The Purrfect Houseguest**

**Part 15**

"Why are you up already?" Wufei asked as he walked into the kitchen.

The table was already set, and a smell of freshly brewed coffee and something sweet and cinnamony was hanging in the air

Treize gave a little shrug. "I thought we could have breakfast together."

"What **is** for breakfast?"

"I have cinnamon rolls in the oven if you can wait a few minutes"

"I can wait!" Wufei assured him promptly.

Treize smirked softly. He had learned a long time ago that his lover had an incredible sweet tooth, even if he would never admit to it. As he poured the coffee, Wufei settled down at the table.

"Where is Zechs?" he wanted to know as he reached for his bowl of freshly cut fruits.

"He is still asleep," Treize replied. "Speaking of Zechs…" He took a sip from his coffee cup before continuing. "I told you that I'll be at an award ceremony tonight, didn't I?"

"Uh huh," the younger man confirmed, with a mouth full of fresh strawberry.

"With Marie being gone too, it will be only you and Zechs for dinner tonight. I thought, this might be a good opportunity for the two of you to spend some bonding time together."

"Hmm!"

"You don't sound too impressed." Treize raised one eyebrow and looked at his lover questioningly.

Wufei finished the last of the strawberries before he answered. "I think the real question is how impressed he will be with the idea. In case you have not noticed, Treize, Zechs has been trying to avoid me ever since he came to live with us."

"I know." The older man nodded. "That's why I thought it would be good for the two of you to get a chance to get to know each other. Wouldn't you say so?"

"Fine," Wufei agreed. "I'll do my best. But I'm not sure how easy it will be to 'bond' with a stubborn neko."

Treize chuckled. "Yeah well, you two are very alike in that department."

Wufei's brows furrowed. "Are you calling me stubborn?"

Luckily the oven timer chimed at that very moment and Treize took the opportunity to avoid answering his lover's question.

"Ah, the cinnamon rolls are ready." He rose, reaching for a pair of potholders on the way to the oven. "Hmm, don't they look delicious? Just the way you like them."

Wufei just glared at him but didn't say anything. He finished his fruit while Treize iced the sweet rolls and brought them to the table.

The older man himself didn't care for sweets in the morning. He had had some toast, fruits and yogurt instead. Treize refilled his coffee cup and reached for the morning paper as he sat down again at the table. For a few minutes he read silently, until an article in the local section grabbed his attention. He looked at the picture below it and pressed a quiet curse through his teeth.

Wufei looked up, surprised. It wasn't often that his lover used that kind of language. "What's wrong?"

* * *

"I'll be damned…" 

"What is it?" Alex asked at his colleague's sudden outburst.

Mueller had been flipping through the newspaper to find the daily word puzzle when he came across a picture of two police officers and a young man with long pale-blond hair who was wearing a baseball hat. "Here we are searching all over the place and that bastard is hiding right under our noses."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Alex frowned.

Mueller pushed the paper toward him and pointed at the picture. "Doesn't he look like someone we know?"

"Zechs!" the other man exclaimed. "What the hell…"

He reached for the newspaper to read the article above the picture. Apparently it was part of a weekly series titled 'Hometown Heroes', and told about a young man who risk his own life to help a woman who had been robbed at a local super market. _Why am I not surprised? He is just the type to something so stupid_. Alex snorted as he pulled out his cell phone.

"What are you doing?" his colleague asked.

"I'm calling the boss."

Tubarov picked up after the second ring.

"Boss, its Alex. I think we might have found Zechs."

There was a moment of stunned silence before the scientist asked. "Where is he?"

"Well we are not 100 sure of his location yet, but we know the area where he is hiding. I think I might be able to find him with a few phone calls."

"Fine," Tubarov agreed. "I'll leave it to you. Just keep me informed."

"Yes, Sir." After he terminated the connection, Alex reached for the newspaper once more to look for the name and location of the supermarket mentioned in the article, then he called information to get the store's phone number. After dialing that number he first got the operator and he asked to speak to somebody from store security. By chance the security guard who answered the phone was female.

"Hi, how are you? My name is Bob Rickster," Alex lied through his teeth, putting as much charm in his voice as he managed. "I'm a reporter for the 'Weekly Post' and I'm working on an article about the incident that happened outside your store yesterday. I'd really like to interview the young man who fought that robber so bravely. You wouldn't be able to give me a name or address or anything, would you?"

"Well, I'm afraid I can't help you with that. Since the police arrived so quick at the scene, we really did not have much to do with the incident. However…"

"Yes?"

"I do remember who the young man was with."

"You do?"

"Yes, his name is Treize Khushrenada."

"Khushrenada did you say? How do you spell that?" He quickly grabbed a pen and piece of paper, scribbling down the name as she spelt it for him. "And you are sure, that the young man was together with this Mr. Khushrenada?"

"Yes, absolutely. I saw them enter the store together. Mr. Khushrenada shops here quite often; he usually comes with his daughter or his boyfriend, but it's the first time I saw that blond, young man with him.

"You seem to know a lot about that man."

There was a nervous giggle on the other end of the line. "Well, he is a bestselling author; my favorite author you must know. And we don't have that many famous people here in town, so he is pretty well known."

"I see. Thank you for your help." Alex hung up the phone with a wide grin on his face. _Bingo!

* * *

_

Zechs was starving. He had spent most of the afternoon in the gardening, weeding and digging around in a small patch of soil that, according to Treize, was going to be turned into an herb garden. The neko who had never planted anything and watched it grow, and he was excited by the prospect. He didn't even realize how late it had gotten until the delicious aroma of cooking food hit his sensitive nose.

The smell guided him straight into the kitchen, where he found Wufei, stirring something in a pot that was simmering on the stove.

"Hmm…Smells good." The neko felt his stomach rumble. "What is Treize cooking tonight?"

"Treize isn't cooking tonight, I am."

Zechs gave the other man a somewhat skeptical look. "You can cook?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Wufei finally turned, frowning as he noticed that the neko was covered in dirt. "You are filthy!" he pointed out.

"I know." Zechs grinned proudly, ears perked up as he gazed at his soil caked hands and claws. "It's potting soil. Hey, did you know, the dirt will fall of by itself when it dries?"

Wufei almost rolled his eyes. "Yes, but soap and water will do that too. Go wash your hands, dinner is almost ready."

As Wufei turned his attention back to his pot, the neko stick out his tongue at him. _Spoilsport._

"I saw that!"

Zechs grinned as he walked upstairs to get cleaned up. When he returned a few minutes later Wufei was just setting the table in the dining area.

"Only 2 plates?" Zechs asked, brows furrowed in surprise.

"Yes," Wufei confirmed. "It's just you and I tonight; Treize went to some kind of award party. He won't be back until later."

"Oh!"

"Could you go and get the bowl with the chicken from the counter? But be careful it is hot, don't burn yourself."

A few moments later they were sitting down at the table. Zechs glanced at the different bowls slightly confused. "How do you eat this?"

"Well, do it just like this…" Wufei took a big piece of lettuce, filled it with meat and different vegetables, drizzled some sauce over it and rolled it up.

Following the young man's instruction the neko made his own lettuce wrap. He took a first cautious bite and his ears perked up instantly. "Oh, this is good. So, you really do know how to cook."

Wufei snorted. _I wonder if he is intentionally trying to annoy me_.

For a while they ate quietly, before the young man asked. "So, you are going to help Treize with his herb garden?"

Zechs nodded enthusiastically. "He said tomorrow we will go and pick out the herbs that we will be planting."

"I see."

"Treize knows a lot of things doesn't he?"

"Yeah, I guess he does." Wufei confirmed.

"You said earlier that he is at an award party tonight. Will he be getting an award?"

"No, if I remember right he will be presenting some of the awards this time. These are for young and upcoming writers."

"Ah?" the neko nodded in acknowledgement as he prepared himself another lettuce wrap. "Marie told me that Treize is a famous author. She showed me the awards he already won."

"Yeah, his books are very popular."

"Have you read them?" Zechs asked innocently.

Wufei almost choked on a spoonful of rice. "Uhm…No, I haven't. His books are… uhm… geared more toward female readers."

"Oh."

They finished their dinner and cleared the table together. When Wufei started to wash the dishes, the neko reached wordlessly for a towel to help him. Between the two of them the kitchen was quickly cleaned up and Wufei looked at the clock on the wall.

"It's still too early to go to bed. Would you like to play a game of 'Go' with me?" he asked.

"Go?" Zechs frowned slightly. "Is that anything like 'catch'?" Mariemaia had taught him how to play catch, but the idea of chasing Wufei through the house seemed somewhat strange to him.

"No, no. It's a board game." Wufei explained.

"Oh, I know how to play Chess and checkers, but I have never heard of Go."

"It's an old Chinese game. Maybe I can teach you some day. How about playing chess tonight?"

Zechs nodded. "I'll go and set up the board," he offered.

* * *

"Boss, it's Alex again. I've got the information we need." 

"You know where Zechs is?" Tubarov asked.

"Yes, according to what I have been told he was seen together with a local."

"Do you have a name?" the scientist asked.

"Yes," Alex tilted his head, to pin the phone between ear and shoulder as he searched for the paper with his notes. "Khushrenada, Treize Khushrenada. I was told he is some famous author or something. What do you want me to do?"

There was a moment of silence before Tubarov answered. "Nothing. Don't do anything until I give the okay. I'll have to contact Duke Dermail about this."

"Why?" Alex asked surprised.

"The Khushrenada family is not only one of the oldest and most renowned Romefeller members; they are also related to the duke. His Excellency himself will have to decide what to do."

* * *

Wufei was impressed. For some reason he had not expected the neko to be such a skilled chess player. He won the first game, but the second one went to Zechs. Early on in the third he found himself in a situation where he had to sacrifice his queen in order to save the game. 

"You play well," he remarked. "Seems like you had a lot of practice."

Zechs nodded. "I used to play it a lot. One of my handlers who taught me how to play chess gave me a game that I could play on the computer by myself."

"I see." Wufei moved one of his rooks. "Check."

The neko frowned, then covered his king with one of his knights. "That game you mentioned, Go I think you called it is it anything like chess?"

"It's a strategy game too, but the rules and game pieces are very different," Wufei explained. "You will see when I teach you."

Zechs nodded in acknowledgement. "Talking of games; what were you and Treize doing last night?"

Wufei's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I woke up in the night and was hungry, so I went downstairs to look if there was some pizza left and I heard some strange sounds coming from your bedroom." _Not to mention that strange scent._ "It sounded like the two of you were wrestling or something."

While Zechs was talking Wufei's face had slowly turned a bright crimson color. He could feel his cheeks burn as he desperately tried to think of something to say. "Well, we … that…"

"And there was so much moaning and groaning going on, for a moment I wasn't sure if you two were alright."

The color in Wufei's cheeks only intensified. He felt as though he was going to die of embarrassment. – Yes, at that moment he was sure that it was possible to die of embarrassment. – He was still trying to think of an answer when the neko suddenly crooked his head, listening to something Wufei couldn't hear.

"What is it?"

"Treize is home."

Wufei sighed silently in relief and sent a prayer to heaven, thanking the gods for their divine intervention. A short moment later he heard the front door opening and then somebody walk into the house.

"Maybe we can finish this game some other day," he suggested.

* * *

Treize was pleased to see Wufei and Zechs sit together over a game of chess when he walked into the living room. Apparently his plan of hem getting to know each other better wasn't so bad after all. 

"Maybe we can finish this game some other day," Wufei said.

The older man frowned slightly as he looked at his lover. Was he mistaken or did Wufei look somewhat flushed?

Zechs stifled a yawn as he nodded. "I was getting tired anyway. I think I'll go to bed. Good Night."

"Good night." Wufei replied.

"Good night, Zechs," Treize bade as well. As the neko went upstairs he walked over to Wufei to embrace the young man and greet him with a kiss. "Did you have a nice evening, Dear?"

"You smell." Wufei freed himself from his hold.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I mean, you smell of perfume?"

"Oh! I told you, there was a dinner and dance after the award ceremony, didn't I? It's not my fault that I'm so popular among the ladies," Treize teased. "I had no idea that you have such a jealous streak."

Wufei snorted. "I'm not jealous. I was merely pointing out that you smell of perfume. Go, take a shower."

"How about taking one together?" the older man grinned suggestively.

"Make it a cold shower." Wufei told him.

Treize looked puzzled. "Are you really that upset because I danced with a couple of woman?"

"That's not it."

"Then what is it? Did I do anything?"

"It's not so much what YOU did, but rather what WE did, last night. Zechs woke up. He heard us and he asked me about it."

Treize looked at his lover silently for a moment before suddenly bursting out in laughter.

"You think that's funny?" Wufei glared daggers at him.

"Sorry…" Treize had tears in his eyes as he finally was able to speak. "But yes, I think it's funny, in a way."

"You are impossible!" the younger man grabbed a pillow from the couch and started to smack his lover over the head with it.

Treize burst out laughing again as he tried weakly to defend himself against the onslaught.

Unnoticed by both men, a tall blond neko was watching the scene from the top of the stairs. Maybe that's what they were doing last night; play fighting. But that still didn't explain the strange scent. Zechs knew the musky smell of Wufei's cologne, as well as the somewhat sweeter scent of Treize's after shave. But this had been different, very different…

* * *

T.B.C. 

Author's Note:


	17. Chapter 16

**Thank you to everybody who reviewed this story**

**The Purrfect Houseguest

* * *

**

**Part 16**

"Ah, there she is!" Treize honked his horn twice as Marie, together with two classmates, walked out of the school building.

The little redhead turned and looked around. When she noticed her father she smiled and waved at him. Quickly she said good-bye to her friends then ran over to where the Mercedes was parked. Mariemaia stuck her head through the driver seat window to hug her dad and give him a kiss on the cheek. "Hello Papa."

"Hello Princess, how are you?"

"I'm great," Marie replied, then her eyes went wide when she noticed the figure in the back of the car. "Zechs!"

She flew into the backseat and threw her arms around the tall neko. "Zechs! You are still here!"

"I promised I would, didn't I?" Slowly and somewhat hesitant he returned her embrace.

"I know, but still I was worried that you might change your mind. – Just a little bit though," she added as she hugged the neko even tighter.

Watching the scene, and Zechs' slightly distressed face, in the rear view mirror, Treize laughed. "Alright Mariemaia, I think that's enough. Zechs needs to breath you know."

"Oops, sorry." The little girl grinned somewhat sheepishly as she finally pulled away and settled down in the seat next to him.

"So, how was school, Princess?" her father asked as he pulled out of the long line of waiting cars.

"Pretty good," Marie replied. "Miss Bloomberg picked one of my paintings for the art show at the children's museum."

"Oh really? That's wonderful. When does the art show open? We will definitely have to go and see it, won't we?"

"I forgot. But there is a note in my reminder-binder."

"Alright, then I'll check it later," Treize nodded. "How about driving by the '_Marble Slab_' for some ice-cream, to celebrate the occasion?"

"Oh yes, please. I want vanilla swirl with lots of caramel and those little fudge pieces in it. What do you want, Zechs?"

"Hmm…" the neko frowned as he thought about it. "I think maybe I'll have a strawberry milkshake."

"Very well then, one strawberry milkshake and one vanilla swirl ice-cream it will be." Treize confirmed.

A few minutes later they pulled into the parking lot in front of the ice-cream parlor. Marie decided to stay in the car with Zechs while her father ran inside to get their treats.

"So, what have you been doing while I was gone?" she asked the silver-haired neko.

"I helped your dad in the garden. You should see what we did. We planted tomatoes and strawberries and herbs, and new flowers in front of the house."

"Any new roses?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Papa loves them. He can never go to the nursery without buying a new bush or two." Mariemaia giggled. "Do you know, when I was little I thought the nursery is where you go to buy babies, and I tried to talk Papa into buying me a little brother."

Zechs laughed.

"I always wanted a little brother," Mariemaia beamed at him. "But having a big brother like you is even better."

"Thanks." Zechs smiled softly. _I have never been a big brother, but I'll try to do my best to live up to your expectations. _

"There comes, Papa." Marie rolled down the window to accept her ice-cream and Zechs' shake. "Papa, what are we going to do this weekend?"

"Well actually," Treize admitted as he slipped back into the driver seat. "I haven't made any plans. Truth is that both, Wufei and I are rather busy this weekend. He has to finish a research paper and I really need to work on my new book. Sorry, Sweetheart."

"That's okay. Zechs and I can just play together, right?"

"Right," the neko agreed.

* * *

Zechs slipped quietly back into the house. He loved to get up early, and since he had come to live here he had made it part of his daily routine to spend the morning outside. He had found a perfect spot, high up in the branches of a large tree in the backyard, where he loved to sit and watch the sun rise.

The neko had assumed that everybody else in the house was still asleep, but when he closed the front door behind himself, he heard the sound of the TV coming from the living room.

Mariemaia was sitting, still in her pajamas, curled up in a blanket on the couch, watching cartoons. "Good morning, Zechs?" she greeted him cheerfully. "Where have you been?"

"Good morning," he returned her greeting. "I was outside in the garden."

"Oh – Are you hungry?"

"A little," the neko admitted.

"Me too. I'll go and ask Papa to make breakfast."

"Wait!" Zechs stopped her before she even got off the couch. "Let them sleep a little longer, both your dad and Wufei have been working late last night."

"But what about breakfast?"

"Why don't we make something to eat ourselves?" he suggested.

"You mean you and me?" Marie nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, let's make breakfast for everybody."

"Alright, what should we make?"

"Hmm…" Marie tapped her chin with her fingertip as she contemplated. "We do have to make coffee. Dad and Uncle Wufei always drink coffee in the morning… and orange juice… and sausages…"

"And fruit." The neko added.

The little girl made a face, but nodded. "Okay, fruit too. But I also want pancakes."

"Do you know how to make them?" Zechs had watched Treize cook before and he was pretty sure he could make sausages and brew coffee, but he had no idea how to make pancakes.

"No, but Papa has a lot of cookbooks, I'm sure we will find the recipe in one of them."

Marie ran ahead into the kitchen. She moved one of the chairs over to the shelf and pulled a big cookbook from the top board. While Zechs started to prepare the coffeemaker and heated a heavy cast-iron pan for the sausages, she started to search the book for a pancake recipe.

"Wow, there are so many." She exclaimed after a while.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I had no idea there are so many different ways to make pancakes. Which one should we pick? How about this one; Grandma's old fashion pancakes? This **has** to be good. Grandmas always know how to cook good stuff."

"Alright?" Zechs agree. By now the coffee was brewing and the sausages sizzled slowly in the pan. "You read the instructions and I'll make the pancakes."

"Wait, that's not fair. I want to cook too." Marie complained. "Why don't you read and I make the batter."

"I can't," Zechs replied quietly, voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know how. I've never learned to read or write."

At first Mariemaia wasn't sure if Zechs was just trying to pull her legs, but one look in his face told her that he wasn't joking. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright. It's not your fault." The neko gave her a little smile. "So, should we make pancakes?"

* * *

"Papa? Are you awake, Papa?"

"Hmm…" It took Treize a moment to realize that his daughter's voice wasn't part of a dream he was having. "Yes! Yes, I'm awake, Sweetheart." He cracked his eyes open and rubbed his face.

"Breakfast is ready, Papa." Marie's voice reached him from the other side of the bedroom door.

_Breakfast?_ Now that she mentioned it he could smell it too, the delicious aroma of freshly brewed coffee and food. He turned his head, frowning when he realized that Wufei was still lying next to him, sound asleep. "Who made breakfast?" he wanted to know.

"Zechs and I did." Marie's voice was underlines with pride.

"You did?"

"Yep. Hurry up and come downstairs, don't let the food get cold."

Treize chuckled silently. That sounded like something he would usually tell her. "We'll be right there," he promised.

"Okay."

He could hear the sound of footsteps in the hall as Mariemaia left, and he turned toward his still slumbering lover. Wufei was amazing in that aspect, he could sleep through almost everything. Treize always joked that it would take a bomb going off in the middle of their bedroom to wake the young man. But there were a few other ways to rouse Wufei, and Treize knew each and every one.

He smiled softly as he dipped his head and kissed his lover's peaceful face. "Time to wake up, Dear," he whispered.

Wufei stirred. A second kiss elicited a quiet moan from the young man, and after a third, placed onto his soft earlobe, Wufei cracked one eye open.

Treize's smile widened. _Success!_ "Good morning"

"Do we have to get up already?"

"We do." The older man nodded. "Marie and Zechs made breakfast for us. We can't disappoint them."

Wufei sighed but finally opened both eyes. "Alright then."

He yawned and stretched as Treize slipped out of bed and reached for his robe that was hanging by the door. A few moments later the two men walked into the kitchen, pleasantly surprised how beautifully the table was set. Even a vase with freshly cut flowers was sitting in the center.

"Oh, this looks wonderful!" Treize remarked as he took his seat. "Doesn't it, Wufei?"

"It does?" the younger man confirmed. "And it smells delicious too."

"Want some pancakes?" Mariemaia handed the serving platter to her father.

"Don't mind if I do." Treize put a couple of the freshly bakes cakes onto his own plate before handing the dish off to Wufei. He was well aware that both, Marie and Zechs, were watching him closely, obviously anxious about his reaction. Not wanting to torture them any longer he cut off a large bite and tasted it. "Hmm… It's delicious," he remarked, and he really meant it, at least until he bit onto something strangely crunchy. He exchanged a quick glance with Wufei as he moved the bite around in his mouth, before discretely discarding it into his napkin.

"Sweetheart, did you throw away the eggshells after cracking them open?" he asked softly.

Zechs gave Marie a surprised look. "Was I supposed to?"

"No." The little girl shook her head. "The recipe said to use one egg yolk and two whole eggs; just like you did."

Treize was barely able to keep a straight face as he said: "I think, what they meant was to use 1 egg yolk and 2 whole eggs without the shells."

Mariemaia frowned. "Well, if that's what they meant, why didn't they just write it down that way?"

"That's a good question I supposed," her father replied. "Listen, why don't we whip up another batch of batter very quick and make new pancakes?"

* * *

"Zechs!"

"Yeah?"

Mariemaia put down her weeding claw and sat up. She and the neko were kneeling in the middle of their herb patch, cleaning weeds and crabgrass from around the tiny, delicate sprouts

"I think I could teach you… reading and writing I mean."

"You could?" Zechs' ears perked up instantly.

Marie nodded earnestly.

"And you wouldn't mind?"

"No, I think it would be fun; like playing school. I can bring some of my old books and flashcards from Grandpa's house, when I come back next weekend. And we can ask Papa to buy some notebooks for writing…"

"Uhm…" Zechs looked somewhat uneasy with that idea. "I…I'd rather not tell anybody else."

"Okay," Marie smiled. "It will be our little secret then."

The neko returned her smile and nodded. "Alright."

"How are things going, you two?"

Treize's voice almost startled the two conspirators. The tawny-haired man was carrying a tray with glasses and a pitcher with freshly squeezed lemonade.

"Doing great. Look!" Marie gestured at their work.

"Yes, I can see that. I don't think the garden ever looked so clean."

"Yep!" the little redhead announced proudly. "We are the famous two people weed-whacking crew."

"I see." Treize laughed. "Well then, does the weed whacking crew have time for a little lemonade break?"

Marie exchanged a look with Zechs then nodded. "I think we can fit it in our schedule."

"Then go wash your hands."

"Okay, last one at the bathroom is a rotten egg." Mariemaia, already on her feet dashed off, even before she finished the sentence.

Zechs laughed as he jumped to his feet. He caught up with the girl at the backdoor. Just as she tried to squeeze through the door he grabbed her with one arm around her waist, lifted her up and turned before setting her back onto the ground again.

"That's not fair," Marie wailed as she suddenly found herself behind the neko.

* * *

The lemonade was delicious and refreshing. Mariemaia played with her napkin while she sipped the chilled drink. She folded it into a paper airplane and launched it into the air. Unfortunately it only flew a couple of feet before diving nose-first into the patio floor.

"Too heavy."

"Huh?" she asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The paper," Zechs explained. "It's too heavy, and you are folding it wrong. You need to make sure the weight is distributed properly. Want me to show you how to do it?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay, let me get some papers." The neko rose from his seat and left, only to reappear a few moments later with a small stack of paper. The pages were printed on on one side, so Marie assumed that he had gotten them from the recycle basket in her dad's study.

Fascinated she watched as Zechs turned one of the pages into an airplane, then handed it to her.

"Give it a try."

As she launched it, the plane soared through the air, way past the patio fence before landing gracefully in the soft grass. "Wow, so cool," the little redhead exclaimed excitedly.

Zechs smiled; proud that there was finally something **he** could teach **her**. "Let's make one together," he suggested.

Marie nodded and reached for a piece of paper.

"First you take it and fold it in the middle, just like this…"

* * *

Wufei looked everything but happy when he stormed into the living room. It was late in the evening, Marie was already in bed and asleep, and Treize and Zechs had settled down in front of the TV.

"Zechs!" What is this?" the young man was holding some wet and wrinkled up paper in his hand.

The neko tilted his head as he inspected the item. "A wet piece of paper!" he remarked calmly. "It's one of the paper planes Marie and I made earlier today. It landed in the swimming pool so we had to throw it away."

Wufei's nostrils flared as he gave an irritated growl.

Treize looked at his lover in surprise. "What's wrong?" he wanted to know.

"What's wrong? This…" he gestured at the paper in his hand, "…used to be part of my research report, before HE turned it into an airplane and launched it into the pool."

"I didn't _launch_ it into the pool on purpose," Zechs defended himself. "The rest didn't even get wet, although one plane got stuck in one of the trees."

Somehow Wufei couldn't shake the feeling that the neko was mocking him, and that didn't help very much to calm him down.

"Zechs, why don't you go upstairs to your room?" Treize suggested before the situation turned into a fully blown fight.

Zechs shrugged but didn't argue.

Wufei glared daggers after him as he walked upstairs. He could have sworn that the neko smirked at him when he turned at the top of the stairs. "I don't believe it…"

"Alright, Dear, calm down. It's not like you don't have those files on your computer. It's simply a matter of making another printout.

"That's not the point. He had no right to touch my stuff," Wufei grumbled. "I bet he did this on purpose."

"Of course he did," the older man agreed matter of fact.

"So, and he is just going to get away with it?"

"What do you want me to do?" Treize asked in moderate amusement. "Put him over my knee?"

His lover snorted. "I don't think you would find it funny if he would have used one of your scripts instead."

Treize sighed. "I'll go and talk to him later, alright?"

"Alright," Wufei agreed however reluctant.

* * *

Treize knocked at the door to Zechs' bedroom. "May I come in?"

"Yes, of course."

The neko was sitting on the windowsill, one of his favorite places it seemed, as the older man stepped into the room. Treize decided not to beat around the bush and instead take a straight approach. "You know that what you did earlier was wrong, don't you? And you do owe Wufei an apology."

Zechs gave a noncommittal sound, but then he nodded as he turned his head and looked at Treize. "Fine, I'll apologize."

_Well, I guess that's a small step into the right direction._ The other man sighed inwardly. "Zechs, I don't understand why you dislike Wufei so much. He has been nothing but nice and courteous to you. Or is there something I don't know about? You want to tell me about it?"

"Well…" the neko went back to staring out of the window. "Actually…I don't really dislike **him**…"

Treize frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled by the statement. If Zechs didn't dislike Wufei, then who or what was he 'rebelling' against? But suddenly I hit him and a whole array of light bulbs lit up in his head. Of course, why didn't think of that earlier. The papers the neko had destroyed, Wufei's research report, had to do with his work.

"Zechs," he spoke softly. "I assure you that the institute Wufei works for is nothing at all like Gentec. In fact Gentec is an exception. Most scientists live and work by very strong ethics."

Treize gave another silent sigh, because he could tell by the expression on Zechs' face that the neko wasn't buying it. He couldn't really blame him though. He had no idea what Zechs had been through; what they had done to him at the laboratory, and he wasn't sure if he ever wanted to know. So it was only naturally for the neko to be wary of anybody and anything that reminded him of Gentec. But of course that didn't help very much, and Treize wasn't sure what to do about it. He only knew that things couldn't go on like this. Eventually the aversion between Wufei and Zechs would affect all of them. Perhaps they needed help and advice from someone else. But for tonight, he would just have to settle for an apology.

* * *

T.B.C.

Author's Note:


End file.
